Karl Lagerfeld
Designer and collaborator extraudinare, Karl Otto Lagerfeld is recognized as one of the most influential fashion designers of the late 20th century. His own label called Lagerfeld was designe with the "thinking women" in mind.
Lagerfeld widely recognized as one of the most influential fashion designers of the late 20th century.. "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.."
Born Karl Otto Lagerfeld recorded to be born on September 10, 1933 as the only child of Christian and Elizabeth Lagerfeld in Hamburg, Germany. 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. 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.
Karl taught himself to read and has since become a voracious reader devouring historical biographies, as his mother told the youngster that if he wanted bedtime stories he would have to read them himself. It is said that his mother's famous eccentricity, perhaps also influenced his exceptional talent. Together, Karl Lagerfeld and his mother immigrated to Paris in 1953. In 1955, at the age of 22, after winning a competition for a coat sponsored by the International Wool Secretariat, Lagerfeld was awarded a position at Pierre Balmain where his first piece appeared in their collection when he was 17-years-old. 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. Lagerfeld stayed at Balmain he until Chloé beckoned in 1963, inviting him to design a pioneering range of luxury ready-to-wear.
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."
With this “premonition” in mind, Lagerfeld set up his own label in the early 1980s, called Lagerfeld, which is developed from sketches, features very structural and dramatic women's wear, mostly in black and white and which also launched perfumes. His brand supposedly created clothing for the "thinking woman". He has also played a role in equipping leading artists. He was awarded the Neiman Marcus Award in 1980.
Lagerfeld built his name as an independent creator who collaborated with a variety of different fashion labels, including Chloé and Fendi. However it was Karl's appointment to the House of Chanel, one of the strongest brands in fashion, in 1982, which really put him on the map. The reinvention of the double C logo coincided perfectly with the rise of the yuppie hunger for status symbols, they latched onto Coco's pride and joy, like there was no tomorrow. The little cardigans and chic suits, opulently decorated with lashings of gilt and pearls, all stayed but with an added twist including biker boots, hotpants and headphones.
In the early 1990s he once employed strippers and an Italian adult film star to model his black-and-white collection for Fendi where he designs fur coats under his eponymously named label. He has also 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. He is also a keen photographer and has shot many of the Chanel campaigns himself as well as producing Visionaire 23: The Emperor's New Clothes, a series of nude pictures of South African model David Miller. But perhaps he is most renowned for his acerbic wit – Ines de la Fressange, Claudia Schiffer, Stella McCartney and the city of Berlin have all suffered his Teutonic tongue-lashings.
In 2000, his use of gold, animal skin, and fur had PETA up in arms—while first-class shoppers clawed for his latest flashy collection.
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. Also in November 12, 2004, H&M, the international Swedish fashion brand, offered a limited range of different Lagerfeld clothes in chosen outlets for both women and men. Only two days after having supplied its outlets, H&M announced that almost all the clothes were sold out. Lagerfeld has expressed a lack of fear that working with lower-end brands will taint his image, although in the past he has worked closely with the exclusive hosiery designer Wolford.
On December 18, 2006, Karl Lagerfeld announced the launch of a new collection for men and women dubbed K Karl Lagerfeld. The collection will include fitted T-shirts and a wide range of jeans.
Lagerfeld is also famous for a dramatic transformation of his body, when he lost around 80 lbs in one year. The diet was created specially for Lagerfeld by Dr. Jean-Claude Houdret, which led to a book called The Karl Lagerfeld Diet. "Dieting is the only game where you win when you lose!" he says.
Lagerfeld is a member of Chambre Syndicale du Pret-a-Porter in Paris.
Lagerfeld is known for his versatility and for expertly juggling his roles in various labels.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karl_Lagerfeld
http://www.hellomagazine.com/profiles/karllagerfeld/
http://www.infomat.com/whoswho/karllagerfeld.html
http://nymag.com/fashion/fashionshows/designers/bios/karllagerfeld/