A Lagerfeld of Karlisms

“The last thing I’d do is define myself. Tomorrow I could be the opposite of what I am today,” was among the innumerable Karlisms that designer Karl Lagerfeld would share with his followers. It also defined his innate desire to surpass his earlier oeuvre with haute attempts that brought so much under his creative umbrella. His signature ponytail, dark glasses and predilection for provocative statements apart, it was his haute sensibilities that traversed timelines that he will be most remembered by. The man who changed the fortunes of Chanel and Fendi, his creative genius transformed brands, and in that, he was always learning. Breathing life into Chanel since 1983, the designer went onto wave a wand of magic on couture labels... and in his passing in Paris on Tuesday after a brief illness, the fashion world has lost an icon that stood by his irreverence and his fashion sensibility. His kindness touched many and twitter is filled with tributes about the creative director, photographer, caricaturist, etc even as his scathing and acerbic comments did leave many grappling.

Goan designer Wendell Rodricks who had a chance to be up close with the legend says, “The great thing about Karl Lagerfeld unlike the people in his genre like Pierre Cardin was that he stayed relevant till the end. That is amazing. To stay relevant for such a long period was so remarkable and admirable. The second thing is when I was living in Paris, and I went into the Chanel Studios, what I really appreciated about him was his cerebral nature, ever learning and exploring. He was born in Germany in the 1930s, and even at his age, he would buy so many books, keeping abreast with trends, and innovations. There is no designer like that. We are saying goodbye to a different era of elegance, vitality and creativity, there is no one else like him.”

Anushree Reddy

To the large family of designers, Lagerfeld was an inspiration and creative director Vito Dell’Erba (vitodellerbaofficial) goes beyond the brand to highlight Lagerfeld’s personal brands too, “Years ago, I was in New York for a job interview with the Hilfiger Group (they had bought the Karl Lagerfeld brand). They were looking for someone to design the youth brand KL. I enquired, ‘Why do you need a consultant? They answered Karl is good in consulting on other brands, but his brands never take off. It was surprising to hear this. Looking at the facts, it was true. Personally, for me, Mr Lagerfeld has done amazing work for other luxury brands over the years though his personal brands remained in the shadows of the fashion Olympus.  He was a larger than life personality and he was a symbol of international luxury fashion. I crossed him once in the Colette, a conceptual fashion boutique in Paris. He was by himself listening to music — An elderly man with a high stiff white collar, gloves and his iconic sunglasses and ponytail. I felt this facade was also his way of dealing with aging. He gave the fashion world so much, Thank you Mr Lagerfeld, god bless you.”

Karl Otto Lagerfeldt (he later changed it to Lagerfeld) was born in pre-war Germany and later migrated to Paris. The energy that he breathed into Chanel and Fendi brought the labels into the limelight, and since his days as a design assistant for Pierre Balmain, the canvas of his work only skyrocketed. Even for someone with that great a capability, being able to change with the times, and dictating trends was his gift to the world.

“His loss to the world of fashion is huge. Who can forget his signature style his dark glasses, dark suits and white hair in a ponytail. Chanel is what it is today hugely because of him. Every woman loves Chanel. He added glitz to the prim tweed suits the couture house was known for. He was a pioneer in so many ways. He was one of the first designers who collaborated with a high street brand like H & M which was not common then. People like him breathe fresh life into fashion and establish path-breaking trends which impact us for decades,” Bandana Sondhi, a model and style influencer recalled.

Lagerfeld’s life was a canvas of creativity as he played with different genres so splendidly. Jyoti Sachdev Iyer, a fashion designer admired his genius, “The kind of work he has done is unique and has a class of its own. All his collections have been such an inspiration to all us designers. I really liked his 2009 collection, which he did in Paris for Chanel.”

Hyderabad designer Anushree Reddy also agrees that his passing in a huge loss, “I’ve always been very inspired by his thought process and vision. He was a creative genius and always ahead of his time. His art was combined with the power to convert pure creativity (close to art) into a successful business. He has left behind legacy of brilliant work.”

The designer who had been ailing for a short while, died in a Paris hospital, with the world coming together to pay tribute to his life. “I don’t think there is any designer, who wouldn’t be affected by Karl’s work. He had a distinctive style and was unapologetic about it. He walked the talk and proved himself through his work.  He made the most unapologetic statements and I can’t forget that. Actually, no one will,” says Designer Shilpa Reddy.

To be relevant, one has to go beyond mere trends, and imbibe innovations, and create new foundations. Karl did that splendidly. He leaves his body of work to his friend and collaborator Ms Viard to take forward. World fashion has lost one of its movers and shakers, and it will be hard to fill such legendary shoes.