Lagerfeld documentary sparks intrigue

Karl Lagerfeld’s documentary, Lagerfeld Confidentiel, is making fashion headlines since its select previews around the world. The film, which sees a UK release this October, offers a glimpse of the dark-spectacled grey ponytail designer.

For his admirers, Karl Lagerfeld has long since succeeded in turning himself into a fashion icon. His persona is just as fascinating as his fashion and the film hopes to show convey who the persona is behind the sunglasses and knuckle rings.

Lagerfeld has long refused to provide a direct answer and aside from recent interviews, Lagerfeld has never discussed his private life before this extensive cinematic portrait. Working in close collaboration with his protagonist, director Rodolphe Marconi succeeded in recording over 150 hours of film material. The resulting film provides audiences with a closer, more intimate look at this famous creator of fashion that is more than just a record of his everyday life. In this portrait, we gain an insight into the man's personal history and his obsessions; we are presented with Karl Lagerfeld as a photographer and painter, as a great lover of the cinema, as a book collector and an art connoisseur, but also as neurotic, controlling and spoiled. Certainly, this is a film about luxury, money and style.

However, it is also about key moments in the life of the Hamburg-born fashion designer who grew up in Lübeck. Born to a wealthy family, the designer's encounter in early childhood with "Buddenbrooks" and "Nibelungen" was to have a lasting influence on him. In this film, Lagerfeld, who has lived in Paris since the 1950s, talks as openly about his 'wild years' as he does about the loss of his long-standing partner, who died of Aids in 1989. "I admire people who have the courage to destroy themselves," declares Lagerfeld. "They are the exact opposite of me."

7 August 2007

Lagerfeld directs latest Dom Perignon

Fashion designers and champagne houses have long gone hand in hand, and the latest relationship forged is between Dom Perignon and Karl Lagerfeld. In its new campaign, Karl Lagerfeld photographed model Claudia Schiffer cast as a woman who seduces her man by playing multiple roles: from sexy French maid and androgynous boy-toy to a soulful diva, complete with afro hairstyle. "She was genius to do what she had to do," enthused Lagerfeld, who hosted a party Wednesday night to unveil the campaign, slated to break in September issues. "She played the parts perfectly. It was fun."

Lagerfeld even tapped his private secretary-bodyguard Sebastien Jondeau for one shot, in which he nuzzles the neck of Schiffer in full Marie-Antoinette regalia. Daniel Gaujac, global brand director for Dom Perignon, said Lagerfeld's campaigns have helped land its bottles, which are sold out in advance, into the best boutiques, restaurants and clubs. It's also brought more "glamour and luxury" to Dom Perignon's image. "Otherwise, it's just a wine," he said.

www.domperignon.com
5 July 2007

Karl Lagerfeld to exhibit at Cannes

Karl Lagerfeld is preparing for a major exhibition of photography in tandem with the Cannes film festival next month. The likes of David Lynch and Isabelle Huppert posed for portraits by Lagerfeld, along with 58 other film royalty, of which many French. An event in honour of Lagerfeld and his work is expected to take place on May 23 rd , although the designer has hinted he will not make a red-carpet appearance.

On Monday, German publication Der Spiegel revealed that Lagerfeld was the subject of a kidnapping plot back in the seventies. A member of the militant Red Army Faction told the magazine that it had a list of possible ransom targets, including Lagerfeld. It was not clear why the plan was never carried out. Nevertheless, the designer spent the weekend ducking requests for commentary from German newspapers, some of which ran the story above the fold.

www.karllagerfeld.com
24 April 2007

Karl Lagerfeld launches bridalwear

Karl Lagerfeld has reportedly signed a licensing deal with Spanish bridal manufacturer Rosa Clará. The label, called Lagerfeld Collection, will be sold through Clará's retail network, which consists of 49 company-owned and franchised stores in Spain, two Portuguese locations and three shops in Mexico.

The Barcelona-based producer's worldwide points of sale total about 1,000, with "significant" retail presence throughout Europe, the U.S. and Japan, all of which represent potential distribution channels for the Lagerfeld line, said a spokesman for Clará.

In addition, Clará plans to open five more stores in Mexico this year, and a Paris flagship is "imminent," he added.

Lagerfeld for less

The name Karl Lagerfeld conjures up images of inimitable style, dark sunglasses, fans a-flutter and adoring fans. Lagerfeld's career in fashion spans fifty years, from his auspicious start as an apprentice at the house of Balmain to his current roles as creative director for Chanel and Fendi and his own lines, the high-end Lagerfeld Collection and the more affordable Karl Lagerfeld Label.

His name-sake fashion lines debuted during last week's New York Fashion Week and were a great success. It is as if Lagerfeld can do no wrong. Some would argue that designing a cheaper line dilutes a luxury brand's identity, but Lagerfeld already proved that not to be the case when he designed a one-off collection for high-street retailer H&M. If anything, his star seemed to rise even higher as everyone clamoured to own a piece of Lagerfeld.

His reputation is such that US department stores Neiman Marcus and Bergdorf Goodman purchased his spring collections without even having seen them. “When the best of the best designers tells you they are going to delve into a new venture, often you're going to get behind it,” Jim Gold, chief executive of Bergdorf Goodman told The New York Times.

''All you need to do is put the Lagerfeld name on anything, and people line up at the door,'' agreed Sara Albrecht, the owner of Ultimo in Chicago ''Normally when I hear about a designer doing a lower-price line, I cringe. But he has such a perception of the consumer and how they wear clothes in reality that it could really work.''

The Karl Lagerfeld Label consists of dresses for $495, jeans at $275 and T-shirts for $155. The line, which is modern, cool, urban and cutting-edge, was designed and developed in New York by a team of twenty-odd designers headed by Lagerfeld's trusted stylist Melanie Ward and creative director of the line. Instead of a hands-on approach, Lagerfeld worked on the high end Lagerfeld Gallery collection in Paris, sharing his vision with Ward by telephone and through books and photographs and on several visits to the city. He did not see the finished product, nor did she see his, until the shows last week.

The two lines are owned by the Hilfiger Corporation, which acquired the Lagerfeld Gallery label for $27.5 million.

www.karllagerfeld.com
14 February 2006

Lagerfeld stays at Fendi

Karl Lagerfeld's contract with Fendi expires later this year causing rumours about his approaching departure to spread like wildfire. Fendi CEO, Michael Burke, has denied the gossip. "I am functioning as if it were being renewed. Karl and I agree things have to change. We're working on find a better way to go forward," he told WWD.

Lagerfeld had voiced his frustration with the way Fendi was being run but revealed he believed a change could bring about a better future for their collaboration. 'If they organise (Fendi) to work the way I want, it can continue. I know what I need. There is no hostility between me and LVMH, no tension at all," he said.

Burke indicated that changes had been made within the company and the future was looking rosy. "It's our coming out, having fixed everything. We did some major restructuring." A new flagship store is opening in Rome on 18 May and Burke said that sales of Lagerfeld's furs had shot up 250 per cent, while handbag orders had increaded 60 per cent and Ernesto Esposito's footwear had grown 80 per cent.

Of the accessories, Burke said: "I'm sure they will sell out. We have no price resistance. We can sell the most expensive things." He denied the rumours that Fendi was courting Gucci's new womenswear creative director, Frida Giannini.

Market sources have estimated Fendi's losses last year at approximately GBP 17 million. LVMH expects the house to break even by 2007 at the latest.

www.fendi.com
29 March 2005

Gotta love Karl

German fashion designer and wunderkind Karl Lagerfeld is not one for false modesty. And for that we are thankful, because the world is too full of hypocrisy as it is.

Lagerfeld recently admitted that he is the most visible person in the world. Although he has spoken about his admiration for the likes of Hedi Slimane and labels like Thom Browne and Libertine, he has confessed that he has a very powerful position in the fashion market. "The H&M people were trying to find the most visible person in the world. And it turns out that's me," he told the Times, frankly.

However, despite all evidence to the contrary, Lagerfeld is said by friends to be far more down to earth than he appears. He is simply matter of fact about all his talents. Of his ability to produce three important collections per year, as well as photograph and collect art, he says: "It's like I have three heads. And they never overlap." He adds: "People like me do not do this job. But I don't think I'm too good for the job."

Many might do well to take a page out of his book.

8 March 2005

Fashion's Boy Friday

Just when he had angered high street retailer H&M and the British public with his comments about British women being too large for his designs, it has been revealed that Jack-of-all-trades Karl Lagerfeld has shot an add campaign for sports retailer Adidas.

The campaign was shot in mid-November at the designer's studio in Paris, and marks a departure for both Lagerfeld and Adidas Originals. The retailer is planning on expanding its presence with 15 more Originals stores, adding to its current chain of 24 flagship stores. For Lagerfeld, the collaboration is quite rare in that he has almost never shot campaigns for labels that are not his own.

The new Originals spring/summer 2005 ads, all of which were shot in black and white, will appear in February in major lifestyle and fashion magazines.

Michael Michalsky, global creative director of Adidas, told reporters that Lagerfeld was perfect for Adidas Originals. As the "high priest of luxury and style" his approach was a perfect match for the Adidas brand, which was "the ultimate aspirational street fashion label." Michalsky also hired Stephen Gan, founder and cerative director of Visionaire and a great friend of Lagerfeld's, as art director.

According to Gan, it was a great challenge of lending a fashion edge to what he said was "one of the most recognized brands in the world was probably the biggest challenge." Gan revealed that Lagerfeld jumped at the opportunity of shooting the campaign because he was fully aware of Adidas Originals as a high-end street fashion label.

The Lagerfeld ads "Celebrate Originality", as the Adidas has coined the campaign. According to Michalsky, the company wanted to project positive images as opposed to something too cutting edge, which he admitted was "so over". The ads feature a group of healthy looking, sexy models posing together. The line consists of classic retro items and new takes on signature looks from the Adidas standard.

>> more Adidas in the FashionUnited Archive
6 December 2004

Lagerfeld To Apologise

Chanel designer Karl Lagerfeld has been ordered to apologise to British women after claiming they are too fat for his clothes. The designer threw a hissy fit when high street chain H&M made his designs bigger to fit the average British woman, who is a size 16. He complained they had been created for 'slim, slender people'. Now H&M directors are demanding he apologise for insulting their customers.

28 November 2004

Lagerfeld offended by H&M

German designer Karl Lagerfeld's collaboration with mass retailer H&M has left behind a bitter aftertaste. Lagerfeld has expressed his disappointment in the Swedish retailer's limited sales policy of the collection he designed for the chain.

Accusing H&M of snobbery, he expressed his distaste for the manner in which limited number of his designs were produced. By limiting the amount of creations, H&M were going against Lagerfeld's principle for designing for the chain retailer. His aim had been to make his designs available to the masses, but instead H&M had tried to create an exclusive line within their operation. Lagerfeld was infuriated by the fact that many people had missed out on the opportunity to purchase his creations. "I don't think it is very kind, especially for people in small towns and countries in eastern Europe. It is snobbery created by anti-snobbery," Lagerfeld told Stern magazine.

Lagerfeld was also angered by the retailer's decision to produce the designs in larger sizes. He said that he had created the clothes for slim people. Lagerfeld himself lost 42 kilograms two years ago and revels in finally being able to wear Hedi Slimane designs. The Lagerfeld for H&M designs are already being sold for higher prices on internet, much to the amusement of the designer.

22 November 2004

Lagerfeld scores again

Designer Karl Lagerfeld really does appear to have the Midas touch. His collaboration with H&M appears to be a success. Paris shoppers stood in line outside H&M last Friday at 6am just for a taste of the high life that the limited edition Lagerfeld for H&M collection offers them. According to one Paris shopper, the hype in France might have something to do with the fact that he designs for Chanel.

In London, the reactions were slightly more subdued. London shoppers seemed wary of the idea of such a great designer creating for a mass-market chain, according to Oxford street store manager Paul Roberts. Lagerfeld responds to these fears by stating that design is not a question of price anymore. Perhaps, in his case, it isn't.

www.hm.com
16 November 2004

Lagerfeld's dress code

The German fashion designer is infuriating Paris fashion photographers by imposing a dress code on them. At his next Chanel show, fashion photographers must wear white shirts, black jackets and black trousers. If they do not comply, they will be denied access to the show.

The stringent measures are being taken because Lagerfeld will be using footage from the show for the new Chanel No.5 campaign, starring Nicole Kidman. However, the photographers are not being provided with the right clothes, are not being recompensed and have not been asked for input. They are therefore threatening to not show up. And without photographers Lagerfeld loses his key advertisers.

7 October 2004

Fashion's multi-taskers

The hugely gifted German designer is not one to be pinned down or hemmed in. Karl Lagerfeld will not confine his talents to designing for Chanel and Fendi and his own Lagerfeld Gallery. Most recently he has joined forces with Swedish fashion emporium H&M to design a limited, affordable collection.

However, fashion design is not the only thing on his agenda. He edits books, does fashion photography for magazines and is even working on a project to produce Chanel stamps for the French post.

As a rule, the fashion industry does not believe in such multi-tasking. It is generally believed that Tom Ford lost the plot, designing for both Gucci and Yves Saint Laurent. His former bosses at Pinault Printemps Redoute have now chosen to appoint two different designer to design to two brands. Alessandra Facchinetti has followed in Ford's footsteps at Gucci, and Stefano Pilati is designing for YSL.

In France the trend however is to multi-task, designing for two brands at once. Designers such as Marc Jacobs designs both for his own label and for Louis Vuitton, while John Galliano designs for his own brand, but also for Christian Dior. The trick, according to Lagerfeld, is to compartmentalize. And to have a good team of in-house designers to execute your ideas.

6 October 2004

Lagerfeld's H&M Designs Debut in November

It is common practice for high-street fashion chains to copy the trends straight from the catwalks of high profile designers. From Marc Jacobs to Prada, their designs are copied and 'interpreted' and in fast-fashion turnaround, often hit the stores before even the originals. H&M, this season, diverted, somewhat, from this feat, instead employing the help of the designer himself.little help of Chanel's Karl Lagerfeld. Lagerfeld's cheap but chic winter collection for the masses will debut next month and the collection is reportedly sleek, silky and mostly black. And most importantly, it's inexpensive.

The least expensive piece, black silk georgette knickers, will sell for about GBP11.99 while the most expensive, a double-breasted black wool coat, goes for approx GBP89.99. That's a far cry from prices at Chanel, where the average tweed suit costs somewhere around GBP3,000.

Lagerfeld, who appeared at a late-night launch party Friday in Paris wearing his trademark black sunglasses and white ponytail, said he admires the Swedish retail chain for making "the inexpensive desirable." "I'm versatile, and fashion is too," he told reporters. "I did this (collection) with the same kind of seriousness as for Chanel. Just because it's less expensive doesn't mean we shouldn't care." Lagerfeld also designed H&M accessories and a unisex fragrance called "Liquid Karl."

>> more H&M news on FashionUnited
20 September 2004

Karl Lagerfeld Goes High Street

One of the world's most famous designers, Karl Lagerfeld, is going to put his creative touch on next season's fashions from Hennes & Mauritz. From the successful Scandinavian retailer - who introduced us to fast fashion - comes perhaps a collaboration of a more original kind, and shoppers can expect glamour on the high street in full force.

While quick to 'translate' each season's trends from catwalk to high street, H&M, under the label "Karl Lagerfeld for H&M", will see the designer create 30 pieces especially for the chain. According to H&M, this will be everything from underwear to shirts. "The collection will be exclusive, but it will be sold at a normal H&M level," stated Helen Webster, head of information in Norway, to TV 2 Nettavisen.

According to Lagerfeld, he and H&M got the idea for this independently of each other. "I have for a long time been fascinated by what they do, and they are apparently interested in what I represent," Lagerfeld stated in a press release. Lagerfeld has been connected with Chanel for a number of years, but he has also made his own lines, among others, through Lagerfeld Gallery.

His own line for the coming fall indicates strong lines in black, white and brown, with discrete stripes, but the designer can be colourful when he wants to. Lagerfeld is considered to be the designer everybody loves to copy. The designer's tweed jackets have been copied for years and are particularly popular in some versions this year. The new line for H&M is still in the testing stage.

>> more H&M news on FashionUnited
21 June 2004

Lagerfeld new model for Pepsi?

Karl Lagerfeld, the 64-year-old designer for Chanel, who is experiencing a new lease on life since shrinking from sixteen to nine-and-a-half stone, is rumoured to be in talks with Pepsi to star in a new ad campaign. If the rumour's true, Karl Lagerfeld is about to join the realms of the Spice Girls and Britney Spears.

"He is always drinking Pepsi Max and his appearance in an ad campaign is an idea that is currently in the air," says a source. "They might meet to discuss it sometime after this round of shows."

Lagerfeld, who claims these days to "look better and feel better" than ever before (while he's actually looking scarier than ever), posed alongside Yves Saint Laurent and Linda Evangelista in a campaign for high street store Morgan twelve years ago and starred in his own ads for Lagerfeld Homme last year.

February 6, 2003