How Karl Lagerfeld Became a Fashion Entrepreneur

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(Newswire.net — November 6, 2016) — The fashion industry is shaped by designers who come from different parts of the world. The common thread that runs through all successful designers is their burning passion to create something different and unique, and through it the creation of breathtaking design and product lines that mesmerize the world.

One such designer who has transformed the fashion industry in many ways is Karl Lagerfeld. He currently heads the iconic brand Chanel’s ready to wear and couture lines, besides creating designs for his own label. Alongside both these labels, he also collaborates with Sylvia Fendi to create ready-to-wear collections for the Fendi brand. It’s no normal feat for an individual to design for three top brands, and yet at the age of 83, Lagerfeld does it all. This passion for fashion, and the drive to continue creating new models everyday is what makes Karl Lagerfeld a true icon in the world of fashion.

If you’re still wondering who is Karl Lagerfeld, let’s look back at his early life and career a bit to get a better understanding of how he has achieved this pinnacle of success.

Early life and career

Karl Lagerfeld was born in the city of Hamburg in Germany on 10 September, 1933. His father was a wealthy businessman called Otto Lagerfeld while his mother was Elisabeth Bahlmann. He has an older sister called Martha, who was born in 1931. Lagerfeld’s family was not impacted during World War II, thanks to his father’s business interests. He started school at St. Anne’s, and later went to a secondary school in Paris called Lycee Montaigne, when his family moved to France. He majored in drawing and history.

Lagerfeld started his career with a bang, when he won a design competition in the coats category at the International Wool Secretariat in 1955. This win led Pierre Balmain to hire him as an assistant. After working with Balmain for three years, Lagerfeld got a chance to be involved in Jean Patou’s “Haute Couture” collections. This was followed by another brief time at a couture house in Rome called Tiziano. By 1964, Lagerfeld believed he had the experience to go solo in the fashion world, and this was when he began to freelance for Chloe – a popular French fashion house. He started off with designing a few collections for every season, and soon graduated to designing the entire line of clothes at Chloe. Around this time, he began collaborating with other designers such as Curiel and Fendi.

In the early 1980s, Chanel was facing many problems, and this was when the then CEO Alain Wertheimer hired Lagerfeld to turn around this business. Though most people were skeptical of a turnaround, Lagerfeld took it up as a challenge, and brought Chanel to glory again.

In 1984, Lagerfeld started his own line called Karl Lagerfeld, through which he gave shape to all his dreams. He eventually sold his line to Tommy Hilfiger in 2005, and today, he continues to be its chief creative designer.

Besides being a designer, he is also known for his filmmaking and photography skills, both of which have come handy to showcase his designing ability. He continues to live in Paris with his pet cat Choupette.