Karl Lagerfeld
More than a mere tastemaker, Karl Lagerfeld devoted himself to the continual pursuit of chic. “My life and my job,” the designer once said, “is to forget myself.” During his five-decade career designing shoes, handbags, evening dresses and other items for Chanel, Fendi, Chloé and many others, Lagerfeld was a quintessential chameleon, ever evolving to embody the times.
An outsize, instantly recognizable personality — his ponytail powdered like an 18th-century viscount, his eyes perpetually shielded by dark glasses, wearing fistfuls of chunky silver jewels — Lagerfeld was, above all, an avatar of style.
Born in Hamburg (in 1933, ’35, or ’38 by varying accounts), Karl Lagerfeld packed his bags for Paris in 1954. His design for a coat won him the International Wool Secretariat and landed him a job with the celebrated couturier Pierre Balmain. He went on to become the designer of Jean Patou, eventually realizing that his seemingly endless ideas could fuel a career as a designer-for-hire. As such, Lagerfeld lent his vision to everyone from Loewe and Max Mara to Krizia and Charles Jourdan, nimbly moving among a diverse range of styles. It was an unprecedented way of working in the days when freelance was still a dirty word.
During the late ’60s and ’70s, he refashioned Chloé to reflect the free spirit of the day and, beginning in 1965, joined forces with the Fendi family, taking it from sleepy furrier to fashion’s haute-est stratum. Because of his track record for reviving and reimagining brands that had grown stagnant, in 1983 Lagerfeld was handed the reins at Chanel, which had been gathering dust since its founder’s heyday.
From Lagerfeld's first Chanel collection, he injected the venerable house with a frisson of modernity. He riffed on its iconography — tweed skirt suits, pearls, camellias — accenting a lexicon of Chanel-isms with tastes of the moment. Despite producing eight collections a year for Chanel, as well as four to five for Fendi, Lagerfeld never faltered in proposing new ideas each time he put pencil to paper.
Lagerfeld’s collections for Chanel, in particular, displayed his knack for synthesizing old and new, high and low. From Watteau (Spring/Summer 1985 couture) and Serge Roche (Spring/Summer 1990 ready-to-wear) to hip-hop fly girls (Fall/Winter 1991 ready-to-wear), surfers (Spring/Summer 2003 ready-to-wear) and ancient Egypt (Pre-Fall 2019), Lagerfeld used each season’s inspiration to conceive Chanel’s signatures anew.
Browse a collection of sophisticated designs by Karl Lagerfeld on 1stDibs, including handbags and evening gowns for Chanel, vintage cocktail dresses for Chloé and more.
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- 1stDibs ExpertFebruary 1, 2024Karl Lagerfeld was with Chanel from 1982 until his death in 2019. During that time, he served as the creative director for the iconic French fashion house. In 1984, he also launched his own eponymous clothing line, Karl Lagerfeld. Explore a large collection of Chanel apparel and accessories from some of the world's top boutiques on 1stDibs.
- What brand is Karl Lagerfeld?1 Answer1stDibs ExpertApril 11, 2024There is more than one answer to the question what brand is Karl Lagerfeld, as the designer worked for more than one luxury house. During his legendary five-decade career designing shoes, handbags, evening dresses and other items for Chanel, Fendi, Chloé, Loewe, Max Mara, Krizia, Charles Jourdan and other brands, Lagerfeld also established his own eponymous brand. Find a selection of Karl Lagerfeld apparel and accessories on 1stDibs.
- 1stDibs ExpertApril 11, 2024Karl Lagerfeld was at Fendi from 1965 until his death in 2019. He designed for the Italian luxury fashion label on and off during that period. He also worked for numerous other maisons, including Chanel and Chloé, and had his own fashion brand called Karl Lagerfeld. On 1stDibs, shop a range of Karl Lagerfeld apparel and accessories.
- 1stDibs ExpertMay 5, 2023Before Karl Lagerfeld, Coco Chanel designed for the fashion house she founded in Paris in 1910. After her death in 1971, Chanel focused primarily on selling fragrances and cosmetics, but this changed after Lagerfeld joined the house in 1984. Vintage Karl Lagerfeld designs for Chanel handbags, evening dresses, coats, jewelry and other clothing and accessories riffed on its iconography, accenting a lexicon of Chanel-isms with tastes of the moment. Shop a collection of Chanel bags, clothing and accessories on 1stDibs.
- Is Karl Lagerfeld made in China?1 Answer1stDibs ExpertFebruary 1, 2024Whether Karl Lagerfeld pieces are made in China varies. Some items produced by the brand do come from factories located in China. However, Karl Lagerfeld also works with manufacturers in Albania, India, Italy, Macedonia, Portugal, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Turkey. On 1stDibs, explore a collection of Karl Lagerfeld apparel and accessories from some of the world's top boutiques.
- 1stDibs ExpertMarch 15, 2024Yes, Karl Lagerfeld Paris is a good brand. Specializing in affordable, well-made apparel and accessories for a hip, youthful demographic, Karl Lagerfeld Paris is a diffusion line of the French luxury fashion brand known as Karl Lagerfeld. During his five-decade career designing shoes, handbags, evening dresses and other items for Chanel, Fendi, Chloé and many others, the German-born Lagerfeld was a quintessential chameleon, ever evolving to embody the times. Shop a diverse assortment of Karl Lagerfeld apparel and accessories on 1stDibs.
- 1stDibs ExpertMarch 28, 2024Karl Lagerfeld designed for Fendi for 54 years. He joined the company in 1965. Under Lagerfeld, the Italian brand became a world-renowned fashion house. In fact, the German designer, who produced four to five collections yearly for the label, and is celebrated for the shoes, purses and other pieces he created for Fendi, is credited with creating the company’s instantly recognizable double-F logo (which stands for “Fun Furs”). Lagerfeld reimagined fur in creative ways, using it as an accent on purses, cuffs on dress sleeves and collars on wool coats. Find a collection of Fendi on 1stDibs.
- 1stDibs ExpertMarch 28, 2024Karl Lagerfeld started designing for Fendi in 1965 when the brand brought him on to modernize their fur collection. He remained at the Italian luxury house until his death in 2019. The German designer produced four to five collections yearly for the label and is celebrated for the shoes, purses and other pieces he created for Fendi. Find a collection of vintage Fendi on 1stDibs.
- 1stDibs ExpertFebruary 13, 2023Karl Lagerfeld's last collection for Chanel was the Fall 2019 collection. The show took place on March 5, 2019, at the Grand Palais in Paris. Shop a selection of Chanel pieces from some of the world’s top boutiques on 1stDibs.