It was a shock when his death was announced on February 19, 2019: Karl Lagerfeld was probably the most famous designer in the world; he shaped the fashion world like no other. Until the end he had worked on his sketches, designing collections for Chanel, Fendi and his own Karl Lagerfeld line. The Hamburg native was considered a workaholic who thrived on his work and fashion. “Stress? I only know rhinestones!” he always said.
In the 1950s he moved to Paris. He won a young talent award at the time and then got a job in Pierre Balmain’s fashion house. He also worked for Chloé before joining Chanel in 1983. The famous founder of the brand, Coco Chanel, died in 1971. Lagerfeld continued their great legacy and gave the brand new shine.
He booked the most famous models for his shows, including his later German muses Claudia Schiffer and Nadja Auermann. Even back then he wore his iconic look: the white powdered ponytail and dark glasses. Even though his name was always mentioned in the same breath as Coco Chanel, he worked for the Italian fashion house Fendi for most of his design career, from 1964 until his death.
Karl Lagerfeld died at the age of 85 as a result of cancer.
Source: Stern
I am an author and journalist who has worked in the entertainment industry for over a decade. I currently work as a news editor at a major news website, and my focus is on covering the latest trends in entertainment. I also write occasional pieces for other outlets, and have authored two books about the entertainment industry.
