Karl Lagerfeld
1 catalogued object connected to Karl Lagerfeld.
Biography
Person.
Karl Lagerfeld (1933–2019) was a German-born fashion designer, photographer and publisher whose sixty-five-year career made him one of the defining figures of late-twentieth- and early-twenty-first-century luxury fashion. After early work at Balmain and Patou, he became a major designer for Chloé and Fendi before taking artistic control of Chanel in 1983. There he revitalised an established house by treating its inherited vocabulary — tweed, quilting, pearls, camellias and the interlocking double C — as material for continual exaggeration and reinvention rather than untouchable heritage.
Lagerfeld simultaneously maintained work for Fendi and his own label, an extraordinary multi-house practice that helped create the modern image of the designer as cultural impresario. His activity extended well beyond clothes into photography, illustration and publishing; from the late 1980s he regularly photographed campaigns and editorial work himself.
Reviewed 2026-08-19Selected sources
- The Metropolitan Museum of Art — Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of BeautyLagerfeld’s 1933–2019 dates, sixty-five-year career and major roles at Chloé, Fendi, Chanel and his own label.
- CHANEL — 1980s historyLagerfeld’s 1983 arrival as Chanel artistic director and his role in revitalising couture, ready-to-wear and later house collections.
- KARL LAGERFELD — The Real KarlLagerfeld’s development as a photographer from 1987, his Paris photo studio and his work in books and publishing.