Karl Lagerfeld | Success story of the man who revived Chanel

Karl Lagerfeld has a very creative background. He was a fashion designer, creative director, photographer & caricaturist. His success story is an example of why people shouldn’t fear risks. He was a prolific artist who lived through 20th and 21st centuries. Often people in the fashion industry label him as the definition of luxury.

Early Life

On 10th September 1933, Karl Lagerfeld was born in the city of Hamburg, Germany. During his entire lifetime, he insisted that he was not born in 1933. He misrepresented his birth date & other details quite much.

Since childhood, he had an interest in art. For instance, his mates said he was always seen drawing irrespective of what was going on. Karl Lagerfeld said he learned more by visiting Kunsthalle Hamburg Museum than from the school.

In 1955, he won the coat designing competition sponsored by the International Wool Secretariat. After this competition, he befriended Yves Saint Laurent. Pierre Balmain hired him as an assistant. Later in 1964, he went to Rome to study art history. Simultaneously, he worked as a design freelancer for major fashion brands. Fendi Rome hired him in 1967 to improvise their fur line. He made the entire collection look high fashion.

Memorable Works

During the 1980s Chanel, the near-dead brand for that time hired Karl Lagerfeld. Even the designers gave up the hope with Chanel. But Karl Lagerfeld turned the tables with the introduction of a ready-to-wear line for Chanel. He incorporated the monograph of Coco Chanel the interlocked ‘CC’ in the designs.

The  House of Chanel would’ve been an extraordinary French tragedy. But it was Karl Lagerfeld, who believed in the label and worked hard for the position. Now, Chanel is counted among one of the major luxury brands.

Later in 1984, he established his own brand named ‘Karl Lagerfeld’. His motive with this brand was to integrate the ‘intellectual sexiness’ in the fashion lines. He collaborated with many brands such as Diesel, H&M, Vans, etc.

Awards & Recognition

Lesson to learn

An ordinary man from the city of Hamburg went to Paris and rocked the fashion industry. Everyone dreams of a luxurious life, very little work for it. For instance, Karl Lagerfeld said ‘Improvise. Become more creative. Not because you have to, but because you want to. Evolution is the secret for the next step.’ Similarly, people who work hard for their dreams are successful sooner or later.

Also read: Donatella Versace | Success story of a luxury designer.