Karl Lagerfeld

Background

Born on September 10, 1933, in Hamburg, Germany, Karl Lagerfeld came into this world in one of the most troubled times in history. This chaos and frenzy catalyzed the artistic genius that Lagerfeld utilized throughout his successful and prolific career. His father, Otto Lagerfeld, was in the milk business. Lagerfeld & Co. were importing American evaporated milk into Germany. A decade before Karl’s birth, he founded Glucksklee-Milch, also in the milk business. His mother, Elisabeth Bahlmann, was descended from a politician of the Catholic Center party: Karl Bahlmann and both were married three years before Karl’s birth. We know that Lagerfeld finished his studies at the Lycée Montaigne in Paris.

After moving to Paris in 1953, it took him only two years to find his first job in the fashion industry. Thanks to a design competition, Lagerfeld found his first job at the French fashion house Pierre Balmain. Just three years later, Lagerfeld’s career improved when he became the artistic director of the French brand Jean Patou. In 1964, he began studying art history and working for Tiziano in Rome, and just one year later, Fendi brought him to the brand to work on its leather line. Thanks to this work, Lagerfeld managed to position himself within the industry and began to work for big-name brands such as Krizia, Jourdan, and more. When he joined Chanel in 1983, the entire fashion world could admire Lagerfeld’s genius work. Chanel rebounded to the top thanks to his refined taste and creativity in each design. From then on, with different brands and his brand named after him, everything was success after success for Lagerfeld. A lover of pop culture, he has collaborated with stars from the entertainment and art worlds, such as Madonna and Kylie Minogue.

On a personal level, Lagerfeld was linked for several decades to model Jacques Bascher, although the terms of their relationship are not very clear. The German stayed with the French model until his last breath. In addition, Lagerfeld shared his life with a cute kitten who even has a Twitter account called Chouppete (French for ‘sweetheart’).