Karl Lagerfeld

Legendary Chanel designer, Karl Lagerfeld, has died at the age of 85

RIP to a fashion icon.

19 February 2019

Image may contain Karl Lagerfeld Sunglasses Accessories Accessory Human Person Glasses Suit Coat and Clothing

Fashion icon and Chanel head honcho, Karl Lagerfeld, has tragically passed away at the age of 85.

While no cause of death has yet been reported, the fashion world quickly went into mourning on hearing the news on Tuesday 19 February. It is thought that the fashion icon was hospitalised on Monday and passed away on Tuesday.

Lagerfeld emigrated from Germany to Paris as a young teenager, working as a design assistant for Pierre Balmain. He then workd at Fendi and Chloe in the 1960s before joining Chanel when it was an ailing, dusty fashion house back in 1983. He went on to transform it into a hugely influential and lucrative powerhouse with aplomb, whilst simultaneously launching his own eponymous brand.

However, his absence from the brand's shows in January quickly prompted health concerns.

In a statement following the second show without an appearance from the German designer himself, a source said: "He's really tired. He's not doing well and he's ready to stop."

Image may contain: Karl Lagerfeld, Human, Person, Fashion, Sunglasses, Accessories, Accessory, and Premiere

Lagerfeld told Vogue in 2012 that he would never retire, saying: "Why should I stop working?. If I do, I'll die and it'll all be finished."

Karl was head of the iconic fashion house, which was established by Coco Chanel, for more than three decades. He worked tirelessly to produce up to eight collections a year - and become a hit among fashion editors, fans and collectors.

Discussing the tragic news, Alain Wertheimer, CEO of CHANEL, said: “Thanks to his creative genius, generosity and exceptional intuition, Karl Lagerfeld was ahead of his time, which widely contributed to the House of CHANEL’s success throughout the world. Today, not only have I lost a friend, but we have all lost an extraordinary creative mind to whom I gave carte blanche in the early 1980s to reinvent the brand.”

Bruno Pavlovsky, President of Fashion at CHANEL, said: “Fashion show after fashion show, collection after collection, Karl Lagerfeld left his mark on the legend of Gabrielle Chanel and the history of the House of CHANEL. He steadfastly promoted the talent and expertise of CHANEL’s ateliers and Métiers d’Art, allowing this exceptional know-how to shine throughout the world. The greatest tribute we can pay today is to continue to follow the path he traced by – to quote Karl – ‘continuing to embrace the present and invent the future’.”

Virginie Viard, Director of CHANEL’s Fashion Creation Studio and Karl Lagerfeld’s closest collaborator for more than 30 years, has been entrusted by Alain Wertheimer with the creative work for the collections, so that the legacy of Gabrielle Chanel and Karl Lagerfeld can live on.

We'll update you when we hear more.

RIP, Karl.

Scroll down to reminisce over some of Karl's best quotes...

PA Photos
On making Meryl Streep's Oscars 2017 dress
“I made a sketch, and we started to make [her] dress. [Her camp then told us] 'Don’t continue the dress. We found somebody who will pay us.' After we gift her a dress that’s 100,000 euros, we found later we had to pay [for her to wear it]. We give them dresses, we make the dresses, but we don’t pay.
“A genius actress, but cheapness also, no?”
Meryl's reply said: "I do not take this lightly, and Mr Lagerfeld's generic 'statement' of regret for this 'controversy' was not an apology." Eek.
PA Photos
On selfies
"I don't do selfies. But other people do, and they all want to do selfies with me. No, no, no," Lagerfeld told the New York Times. "We live in a world of selfies now... Thank God, Sébastien, my assistant, he's mean to the people in the street, mean and rude. I'm a nice person."
Rex Features
On... discussing fashion with men
"There are not too many people with an opinion I care for. I'm not crazy to discuss fashion with men. I couldn't care less about their opinion," he said to the New York Times.
Rex Features
On coco
"What I've done, Coco Chanel would never have done. She would have hated it."

Rex Features
On tattoos
"I think tattoos are horrible. It's like living in a Pucci dress full-time"
Rex Features
On Diet Coke
"I drink Diet Coke from the minute I get up to the minute I go to bed."
PA Photos
On work
"Work is making a living out of being bored."
PA Photos
On YSL
"He is very middle-of-the-road French-very pied-noir, very provincial."

PA Photos
On Pippa Middleton
"Kate Middleton has a nice silhouette and she is the right girl for that boy. I like that kind of woman, I like romantic beauties. On the other hand, her sister struggles. I don't like the sister's face. She should only show her back."
PA Photos
On short men
"Life is not a beauty contest, some [ugly people] are great. What I hate is nasty, ugly people... the worst is ugly, short men. Women can be short, but for men it is impossible. It is something that they will not forgive in life... they are mean and they want to kill you."
PA Photos
On bedrooms
“If you see it you will think about everything except sex, because it is the unsexiest room ever. I love unsexy bedrooms.”
WENN
On women who object to thin models
"They are fat mummies sitting with their bags of crisps in front of the television, saying that thin models are ugly".

Rex Features
On homewares
"The most important piece in the house is the garbage can."
PA Photos
On Heidi Klum
"I don't know Heidi Klum. She was never known in France. Claudia Schiffer also doesn't know who she is."
PA Photos
On smart women
"I remember a designer who said that intelligent women don't wear her dresses. Obviously, she went bankrupt."
Big Pictures
On sweatpants
"Sweatpants are a sign of defeat. You lost control of your life so you bought some sweatpants."

Bigpicturesphoto.com
On fashion
"I am a kind of fashion nymphomaniac who never gets an orgasm."
PA Photos
On weddings
"Normally, I don't recommend me for wedding dresses - they all get a divorce."
Rex Features
On Michelle Obama
"I don't understand the change of hair. I adore Madame Obama, I love her. But there is a news reader at LCI which has this haircut... Frankly, this doesn't suit her. The fringe was a bad idea, it's not good."
GoRunway
On emotions
"I have no human feelings."

Rex Features
On his personality
"I am like a caricature of myself, and I like that. It is like a mask. And for me the Carnival of Venice lasts all year long."
Rex Features
On being quotable
"Everything I say is a joke. I am a joke myself."
PA Photos
On style
"Don't dress to kill, dress to survive."

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TopicsKarl Lagerfeld Fashion