Very recently, the world lost an internationally revered and beloved fashion icon. Karl Lagerfeld was a pioneer of the fashion industry itself and at age 85, he passed onto the next world.
Stars like Naomi Campbell, Gigi Hadid, and thousands of other supermodels expressed their sadness over the tragedy, sharing personal tributes and experiences.
Many are simply at a loss of words. Melania Trump decided to share images instead, showing Karl’s sketch of a design he made for her first White House appearance.
Mr. Lagerfeld emigrated from pre-war Germany to Paris as a teen, starting out as a design assistant for Balmain before he continued on to fashion houses like Chloe and Fendi in the 60’s.
When he was just 21 years old, the designer won the International Wool Secretariat for best coat, sharing a win with Yves Saint Laurent who won for best dress design. Little did we know, Yves and Karl would end up rivals in their industry, both professionally and romantically.
However, it was of course his collaboration with Chanel that rose him to the height of fame that we are familiar with today.
Everyone recognized Karl from his infamous uniform – dark glasses, pulled back silver ponytail wig, and that notorious, high necked suit and tie.
This visionary popularized high-low collaborations in fashion, like his pairing up with H&M. He was also known to support young and emerging designers – many of whom blew up, like Victoria Beckham.
And of course, no homage to Lagerfeld would be complete without a tribute to his cat Choupette. As the reigning king of fashion once said himself, “I am like a caricature of myself, and I like that.” Choupette definitely plays a role in that statement!
Lagerfeld brought sophistication and class to the everyday. He was famous for his hate of sweatpants and his unbelievable ability to both inspire others and remain continuously inspired, throughout his entire career.
At the same time, the designer had his share of criticism, like when he made it known that he wasn’t supportive of Germany’s open-door attitude to migrants, or how frivolously he regarded the #metoo movement.
We can definitely count on a bio-pic or documentary coming our way sometime soon. All that we know for the moment is that Paris and the fashion world are gutted and devastated.
At the same time, there is also a place for a new knight in shining armor to swoop in and save the fashion world with their visionary grace. Until the next leader is less ambiguous, we mourn Karl and the hole he has left in the world.
