Karl Lagerfeld
Karl Lagerfeld (born 10 September 1933) is widely recognized as one of the most influential fashion designers of the late 20th century. more...
 Home
Fragrances for Men
Fragrances for Women
 Abercrombie & Fitch
Acqua di Parma
Adrienne Vittadini
Alexander McQueen
Alfred Sung
Anna Sui
Annick Goutal
Aquolina
Armani
Avon
Balenciaga
Bath & Body Works
BCBGirls
Benetton
Bijan
Bill Blass
Bob Mackie
Body Shop
Borghese
Boucheron
Britney Spears
Burberry
Bvlgari
Cacharel
Calvin Klein
Carolina Herrera
Cartier
Celine Dion
Cerruti
Chanel
Chantilly
Charlie
Chloe
Chopard
Christian Dior
Clarins
Clinique
Comptoir Sud Pacifique
Coty
Creed
Davidoff
Demeter
Diesel
DKNY
Dolce & Gabbana
Elizabeth Arden
Elizabeth Taylor
Ellen Tracy
Emanuelle Ungaro
Escada
Estée Lauder
FCUK
Fendi
Ferragamo
Fred Hayman
Gale Hayman
Gap
Gianni Versace
Giorgio of Beverly Hills
Givenchy
Gucci
Guerlain
Guess
Halston
Hanae Mori
Healing Garden
Hermes
Herve Leger
Hugo Boss
Issey Miyake
J Lo
J. Del Pozo
Jean Patou
Jean Paul Gaultier
Jessica McClintock
Jessica Simpson
Jil Sander
Jo Malone
Karl Lagerfeld
Kenneth Cole
Kenzo
Lacoste
Lalique
Lancôme
Lanvin
Laura Biagiotti
Liz Claiborne
Lolita Lempicka
Lucky
Marc Jacobs
Marilyn Miglin
Mary Kay
Michael Kors
Mixed Brands
Moschino
Narcisco Rodriguez
Nicole Miller
Nina Ricci
Oscar de la Renta
Other Brands
Paloma Picasso
Paris Hilton
Paul Sebastian
Perry Ellis
Philosophy
Prada
Ralph Lauren
Revlon
Robert Piguet
Rochas
Salvador Dali
Salvatore Ferragamo
Sarah Jessica Parker Lovely
Shania by Stetson
Stella McCartney
Thierry Mugler
Tiffany
Tommy Hilfiger
Valentino
Van Cleef & Arpels
Vera Wang
Victorias Secret
Yves Rocher
Yves St. Laurent
Makeup
Biography
Born Karl Otto Lagerfeldt as the only child of Christian and Elizabeth Lagerfeldt in Hamburg, Germany. His father was a member of a Swedish merchant-banking family and made his fortune introducing condensed milk to Germany. His mother, Elizabeth, was German. Lagerfeld was born 10 years after the couple's marriage, when his mother was 42 and his father 60. He has several half-siblings from his parents' previous marriages. A Catholic baptismal record indicates his birth date as 10 September 1933 but Lagerfeld states he was born in 1938. German birth records are not open to public inspection. The German newspaper Bild am Sonntag has quoted his former teacher and classmates as confirming the earlier date.
He made his name as an independent creator who collaborated with a variety of different fashion labels, including Chloé, Fendi and Chanel. In the early 1980s he set up his own label, called Lagerfeld, which launched perfumes and clothing lines. He has also played a role in equipping leading artists.
Together with his mother, Karl Lagerfeld emigrated to Paris in 1953. In 1955, at the age of 22, Lagerfeld was awarded a position at Pierre Balmain, after winning a competition for a coat sponsored by the International Wool Secretariat. Yves Saint Laurent also won the contest for a dress award. "Yves was working for Dior. Other young people I knew were working for Balenciaga, whom they thought was God, but I wasn't so impressed," he recalled in 1976.
After three years he moved to Jean Patou. "I became bored there, too, and I quit and tried to go back to school, but that didn't work, so I spent two years mostly on beaches – I guess I studied life."
With money from his wealthy family, he set up a small shop in Paris. At this time, he would often consult with Madame Zereakian, Christian Dior's Turkish fortune teller. Lagerfeld later said, "She told me I'd succeed in fashion and perfume."
Since the 1970s, one of his associates has been Anna Piaggi, whom he has often sketched.
In the early 1990s he once employed strippers and an Italian adult film star to model his black-and-white collection for Fendi. He has produced legendary pieces like the shower-dress, with beaded water streaming down the front; a car-dress with a radiator grille and fender, and a multitude of outstandingly eccentric hats.
Lagerfeld, along with Calvin Klein, was the target of a pieing by PETA in 2001 at a fashion premiere at Lincoln Center in New York City.
In 2004 he designed some outfits for the international music artist's Madonna Re-Invention tour, and recently designed outfits for Kylie Minogue's Showgirls tour.
Read more at Wikipedia.org
|
