Who is Karl Lagerfeld and What Makes Him So Interesting

Karl Lagerfeld was been many things in his lifetime. His creative vision was all-encompassing, charming, and sophisticated that put him in a place above most in the fashion industry. It was a great loss to the industry when he passed away in the year 2019, but anyone would agree that his legacy remains intact and continues to influence the present and the upcoming designers. So, what made him such an interesting fellow? What is his story? I think a short piece like this one could not comprehensively answer these questions. But, I have to write something—so I have decided to write about those things for which Karl was most known.

Read along and you will know about the man who oozed classiness and infused his style in his globally acclaimed designs and endeavours.

Here are 5 such things about him and the world around him which you should know.

1. Started with A Contest
   Karl Lagerfeld made a grand entrance into the fashion world when he won a coat design contest that was being sponsored by popular International Wool Secretariat in the year 1955. It was in the same contest Yves Saint Laurent won in the dress category and with whom Karl ultimately became friends. Following his performance in the contest, he was hired as an assistant to famed Pierre Balmain with whom he worked for three years. For quite some time, he worked as a freelance designer and designed for brands such as Valentino and Charles Jourdon. In the year 1967, he became the creative designer of Fendi for which he worked until 1983.
2. Brought back Chanel from an imminent demise
   The longest association he has had with any fashion label, even longer than his eponymous label, is Chanel. He began as the creative director of Chanel in the year 1983 and held that position until his death in the year 2019. When he joined Chanel, it was already on the verge of a breakdown following the death of the founder, Coco Chanel. To bring back life to the dynamic Chanel label, he introduced a ready-to-wear collection which became a hit. He ensured that the world knew about the label’s products and made good use of the said label’s logo.

   

3. Obsession with weight loss
   One of the things which made Karl the talk of the town was his obsession with weight loss—something he developed upon seeing the designs of Hedi Slimane, one of the most influential French people currently. Hedi had designed a collection that could fit only those with the slimmest frames, and this inspired Karl to lose weight. I think ‘inspiration’ makes light of Karl’s motivation for weight loss. His obsession caused him to lose as much as 40 kg. Not only that, he detailed his diet and experience in a book called The Karl Lagerfeld Diet, which he promoted on many television shows. He did it all just to fit in one of the designs of Hedi, and well, he managed pretty well.
4. Lagerfeld and his love for books
   Many people know Karl Lagerfeld as a bibliophile. He loved collecting books, and he did it to a point that he ended up owning one of the biggest personal libraries in the world. He, also, wanted to share his love for books with the world so he opened a bookstore in Paris in the year 1999. The bookstore sold a good collection of books on the many favorite fields of Karl such as art, architecture, fashion, design, and food. Hand-picked and among the favorites in Karl’s library, the bookstore must have been a haven for the fans of Karl who also shared his love for books.

   

5. Butler, where’s my soda?
   Karl was also an eccentric man in many ways, and what I am going to tell you should prove the point. He loved soda; again, ‘loved’ is an understatement. Addiction was what it was, and he didn’t shy from it. It didn’t matter where he went he wanted his soda on beck and call—and he got it. It has been reported that he hired a butler to accompany him to parties and serve him a glass of soda on a silver platter whenever he wanted.