Karl lagerfeld

born Hamburg, Germany 1938

Fashion Designer Karl Lagerfeld was born in 1938 in Hamburg, Germany, to a wealthy family.

He went to Paris in 1952, where he studied informally, with the ambition to be fashion designer, until he won a prize for a wool coat from the Wool Secretariat in 1954 (the same contest in which Yves Saint Laurent won an award for a dress).

Lagerfeld first worked for Pierre Balmain (1954-57), then in 1958 he moved to House of Patou. For a while, he freelanced at Krizia. He worked for Chloe in 1959-78, during which time he began designing furs for Fendi (in 1965) and also launched his company, Parfums Lagerfeld (in 1975). Lagerfeld designed independently from 1978 to 1982, when he began designing haute couture at the House of Chanel.

In 1983, with the help of Gilles du Four, he added Chanel ready-to-wear garments to his list of responsibilities. Although he continued to design for Chanel, Lagerfeld established his own design business in 1984 and resumed designing for Chloe in 1992. The engagement with Chloe ended in 1997, when design at Chloe was took over by ex-Beatle Paul's daugther Stella McCartney.

Lagerfeld currently designs for three companies: his own label, Chanel, and furs for Fendi of Italy. His signature line, which is developed from sketches, features very structural and dramatic women's wear, mostly in black and white. He featured the "Wunderbra" and the "Wundercorset" in 1994.

As an avid photographer, Lagerfeld often shoots his own press photos, and is sometimes called "Kaiser Karl" by the press. His personal trademarks include a fan, a long ponytail for his powdered-white hair, and sunglasses. He is a uniquely confident man and speaks German, French, English, and Italian. Lagerfeld is a member of Chambre Syndicale du Pret-a-Porter in Paris.

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Quotes

• "The reason American cars don't sell anymore is that they have forgotten how to design the American Dream. What does it matter if you buy a car today or six months from now, because cars are not beautiful. That's why the American auto industry is in trouble: no design, no desire. - Karl Lagerfeld, Vanity Fair, Feb. 1992"
• "Only the minute and the future are interesting in fashion – it exists to be destroyed. If everybody did everything with respect, you'd go nowhere."
• "I don't like standard beauty – there is no beauty without strangeness."
• "The iPod completely changed the way people approach music."
• "Dieting is the only game where you win when you lose!"
• "People who say that yesterday was better than today are ultimately devaluing their own existence."

Publications

• The Karl Lagerfeld Diet - by Karl Lagerfeld, Jean-Claude Houdret, Ingrid Sischy, powerHouse Books; Pap/Pstr edition (May 2005)
• Karl Lagerfeld: Room Service - by Devendra Banhart, Johan Renck, Karl Lagerfeld, Edition 7L (January 1, 2007)
• 7 Fantasmes of a Woman - by Karl Lagerfeld, Steidl Publishing (April 15, 2006)
• Karl Lagerfeld - Art Books Intl Ltd (February 1997)
• Karl Lagerfeld: Dreams (Stern Portfolio Library of Photography) - by Karl Lagerfeld, Stern Gruner + Jahr AG & Co. (February 2003)
• Karl Lagerfeld: Waterdance/Bodywave - by Karl Lagerfeld, Steidl Publishing; Slipcase edition (January 15, 2003)
• Karl Lagerfeld: A Portrait Of Dorian Gray - by Karl Lagerfeld, Steidl Publishing (October 15, 2004)
• Karl Lagerfeld: Off the Record (Designvisionen.) - by Karl Lagerfeld, Gerhard Steidl, Walter Keller, Raymond Loewy Foundation for the Promotion of Contemporary Industrial, Distributed Art Pub Inc (Dap) (May 1995)
• Lagerfeld's Sketchbook: Karl Lagerfeld's Illustrated Fashion Journal of Anna Piaggi - by Karl Lagerfeld, Weidenfeld & Nicholson; Reprint edition (May 1988)

Quick Facts

• His original name was Lagerfeldt (with the "t"), but later changed it to Lagerfeld as "it sounds more commercial."
• Lagerfeld converted his 60,000 CD collection onto his arsenal of Apple iPods. As of December 2004, he owned roughly 70 iPods, scattered around the globe in his various residences.
• Karl has also taken a liking to Chan Marshall, singer of Cat Power, who he has flown out to several Chanel shows in Europe.
• Lagerfeld is also mistaken for being a type of brewing process in beer manufacturing.
• He has mixed a personal and work music CD called Karl Lagerfeld : Les Musiques que j'aime.
• Carolina Herrera declared him as the "Most Kissable" in fashion industry.

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