In collaboration with PASSIONS, VOICE OF ASIA is proud to present timeless articles from the archives, reproduced digitally for your reading pleasure. Originally published in PASSIONS Volume 57 in 2014, we present this story on Karl Lagerfeld, and the influenced he imposed on the fashion industry until his passing in 2019.
Renowned designer and photographer Karl Lagerfeld (born Karl Otto Lagerfelt) is based in Paris, and the high-end fashion creations from this courter of controversy are much sought after – as are his musings. From an electric interview with Claudia Croft, PASSIONS gets an exclusive peek into the mind of this style genius…
I make a big effort to forget what I did in the past. I don’t want to have a past. I want only now and tomorrow.
He called Adele fat, said Pippa Middleton looked better from behind, accused guests at the royal wedding of having pudgy ankles and criticised Michelle Obama’s fringe, but, a bit like the Duke of Edinburgh, nobody minds. At 80, Karl Lagerfeld transcends controversy, fashion, taste and even time. “Old people and middle-aged people hate me,” Lagerfeld says, clapping his hands in delight, knowing that, for the young, he is one of the biggest stars.
Maintaining the Look
His image has barely changed over the years: the high-collared white shirt acts as a plinth for fashion’s most recognisable face. His white hair is pulled into a ponytail, black shades obscure his eyes, fingerless leather gloves adorn his hands. “I am what the French call grand public,” he says, meaning a public figure, an icon. All that’s missing these days is the fan – “People don’t smoke as much, and I need my hands for sketching.” In photos he always looks as though he’s about to say something mean, but, in person, pithy observations tumble from his full lips at 100mph.
An Image in Demand
A prolific creative responsible for designing Chanel, Fendi and his own Karl Lagerfeld line, he shoots all his ad campaigns, makes films, publishes art books and constantly sketches, but his best creation is, perhaps, himself. He can be reduced to a simple line drawing for a postcard, made into a cartoon, put on a T-shirt, transformed into a handbag or even appear on the face of a GBP15,000 (US$25,300) Rolex watch. German plush toy company Steiff once made him into a GBP1,000 (US$1,600) teddy, and Fendi has produced a shaved mink Bag Bug version of Karl. Everyone wants a piece of him, including Roberto Cavalli, who once dressed up as Lagerfeld for Hallowe’en.
Affordable Luxury
The Karl whirlwind hit London with the opening of the first Karl Lagerfeld store in April 2013, inspired by “what I represent”, and with plenty of Karl dolls, Karl iPhone covers, Karl gloves, Karl sunglasses and high-neck shirts similar to his own. Unlike his work for Fendi and Chanel, none of it is expensive. “I don’t want to be pretentious, I want it to be wanted without being impossible,” he says. “I want the label to be on a normal price level, because I am quite popular, so it’s nice that people can buy those things, and you don’t have to spend GBP2,000 (US$3300) on a tiny bag. I think that’s not necessary under my name.”
A French Connection
The interview took place in Paris, in Lagerfeld’s photographic studio, just round the corner from his apartment in the 7th arrondissement. It’s huge, lined from floor to triple-height ceiling with more than 35,000 books on everything from 1960s New York to Fragonard and David Bailey. The books are not arranged alphabetically, but Lagerfeld knows exactly where every one is. This space, crammed with knowledge and utterly idiosyncratic, is the real mirror to him. His mind is broad, restless, lithe and challenging, as is his conversation.
Evolution of an Icon
“My shirts, the kind I wear, you cannot buy, so I have had them made by Hilditch & Key since I was 16. I can show you photos from 40 years ago, and I had these shirts. I pull my hair back because my hair is frizzy, and I hate frizzy hair. It’s the easiest hairdo in the world. It takes three seconds to fix it in the morning. I put a little dry shampoo on it because it’s not that white, and I like white, white hair. My mother had beautiful white hair. Mine is a little peepee yellow, so that’s why I put the white powder in.”
Is there anything you wouldn’t want your image on? “Toilet paper.”
Self-Styled
Do you ever look back? “I make a big effort to forget what I did in the past. I don’t want to have a past. I want only now and tomorrow. Yesterday is OK, but it’s over.”
Is that one of the reasons why the kids love you, because you live for the now? “Yes, and I think I am free. I am working for companies that don’t belong to me, and I don’t want to own anything. And I don’t try to look like young people. Many people, designers included, want to look like the young and wear the same dirty T-shirts. Not me. I want to be impeccable. It’s ridiculous, those people in their thirties and forties that do that. I don’t think it’s a good idea. Or they become too boring and “established banker”. I don’t look like a banker, and yet I don’t look like a freak in some dirty T-shirt, old jeans and sneakers.”
Take on Royalty
Let’s talk about some of our most iconic Brits. What do you think of the Queen? “Nobody does the job better than she does. She is never ridiculous. She is flawless. For this job, in our day, she is perfect. She’s not supposed to be a fashion icon who is changing fashion. The Duchess of Cambridge can do that. Kate is chic in a classic way, but sometimes, with her Philip Treacy hats, The Duchess of Cornwall, Camilla, is wilder. I know people who know her. Apparently she’s full of wit and spirit.”
Free Spirits?
Why do you love Clara Delevingne? “She’s a character. She is the Charlie Chaplin of the fashion world, non? She is kind of special feature
genius, like a character out of a silent movie. I would see her better in a silent movie than a talkie because she over-accents the movement. Girls admire her, like they used to Kate Moss. They all want to be as free as her.”
What do you think of Kate Moss being made a fashion editor of Vogue? “It’s a good idea, one of the best Alexandra [Shulman] ever had. At least Kate Moss knows about fashion. She’s the free girl of our times. Maybe she’s 40. Who cares? And she was not living on Vichy water all her life.”
What about Victoria Beckham? “I am a fan of Victoria Beckham. I knew her as a Spice Girl. She is an example of a woman who has had a successful life. She sold 80m records, she has a stunning husband and beautiful children, and she has had real success in her career as a designer. So who does better? And she’s very sweet and very funny. She’s like those girls, like Anna Wintour, who are English. She can look cold, but she is not, she’s cheerful. I love Victoria Beckham.”
Paws for Thought
Who is your muse? “My cat, Choupette. I did a whole collection for Chanel Couture that was blue, inspired by her eyes. You know the famous painting by Velazquez of the white infanta with all the people around? That’s Choupette. Everybody is around for her, she is the centre of the house, of the universe. She sleeps next to my head. She eats on the table — she has flawless manners. She loves to play. When I work, she sits on my desk. She even travels with me. Look at the famous blue eyes, like sapphires. I’d never get another. I am for unique pieces.”
As told to The Times reporter, and released by The Interview People.
No second thoughts. I don’t have them of any kind.
