German haute-couture designer Karl Lagerfeld, artistic director at Chanel and an icon of the global fashion industry for over half a century, has died, a source at the French fashion house Chanel said on Tuesday. He was 85.
Lagerfeld, instantly recognizable in his dark suits, pony-tailed white hair and tinted sunglasses, was best known for his association with Chanel but simultaneously delivered collections for LVMH’s Fendi and his own eponymous label.
“Mr Lagerfeld, artistic director of Chanel, who was feeling tired, asked Virginie Viard, director of the creative studio of the house, to represent him,” Chanel statement reads out after he missed the second show in a row in January.
French celebrity online magazine Purepeople said Lagerfeld died on Tuesday morning after being rushed to a hospital in Neuilly-sur-Seine just outside Paris the night before. The world of fashion lost one of its brightest individuals, creators, wizards.
The iconic designer’s passing away will cause many changes in Chanel, say the fashion experts. Mr Lagerfeld was the creative director of Chanel, is believed to have been unwell for two weeks before his death in a Paris hospital.
The Parisian insider insists that the state of Karl’s health had been a cause of concern for a number of weeks. The 85-year-old mogul had not been seen at fashion shows that he was expected to attend. On Monday, Lagerfeld was admitted to hospital in Neuilly-sur-Seine where he died on Tuesday morning.
