Fashion legend Karl Lagerfeld has been cremated in Nanterre, west of Paris, in a "very private" ceremony. The Hamburg-born designer, who was a brand in his own right, died on Tuesday at the age of 85.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/C. Ena
Advertisement
German fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld was cremated near Paris on Friday, according to the Closer celebrity gossip magazine.
Lagerfeld, also known as the "Kaiser" of the fashion industry, had long insisted that he would "rather die" than be buried.
"I just want to disappear like the animals in the virgin forest. It is awful to encumber people with your remains," he told a French television in 2015.
Lagerfeld also reportedly didn't want a grandiose funeral.
Lagerfeld's ashes are likely to be scattered with those of his mother and his lover, his label said Wednesday.
"I've asked to be cremated and for my ashes to dispersed with those of my mother... and those of Choupette (his cat), if she dies before me," he said in one of his last interviews.
The cremation was done privately and was attended by close family and friends, including Virginie Viard, Lagerfeld's successor at Chanel.
Lagerfeld's looks, his quick tongue, his muses and the cult surrounding his Burmese cat were enough to make him a brand in his own right. But first and foremost, he was the soul of the house of Chanel. He had been creating haute couture and pret-a-porter collections throughout his life.
Best known as Chanel's creative director, Karl Lagerfeld became a brand in his own right thanks to his cat Choupette, often tactless remarks and that unmistakable look.
Image: Getty Images/AFPA. Jocard
Sunglasses and a ponytail
Karl Lagerfeld's ponytail and sunglasses made up his signature look. A shirt with a high collar, coat and tie, leather gloves and up to 30 rings on his fingers were just as indispensable. His unmistakable silhouette adorns the logo of his eponymous fashion label.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/C. Seidel
Karl and his books
"I just can't stop buying books," Lagerfeld once said. They were all over his home. His bed was surrounded by towers of book and shelves line the walls, leaving little room for pictures. Lagerfeld's collection included about 300,000 books, mainly illustrated books on fashion and art, history and philosophy as well as essays and poems. The latter were his favorite.
Image: picture-alliance/abaca/D. Eric
Choupette
Fashion, books — and then there was his third great passion: his cat, Choupette. The famous "cat who refuses to eat from the floor" has her own staff, Facebook and Twitter accounts and inspired two Chanel collections. "There is something unforgettable about her," Lagerfeld said. "She is an inspiration for elegance, for posture."
Image: DW
Karl and his muses
Choupette was by no means Lagerfeld's only muse. Beginning in 1990, he boosted the international top model career of Claudia Schiffer (photo). Baptiste Giabiconi was another source of inspiration. Lagerfeld photographed the young French model himself, and presented the results in illustrated books and exhibitions.
Image: Imago/Zumapress
The photographer
In 1987, Lagerfeld took over some of the camerawork for his agency because the advertising campaigns for Chanel didn't always meet his high aesthetic standards. He shot numerous Chanel campaigns, photographed stars including Nicole Kidman, did fashion portraits for Vogue and made short films for Fendi and other fashion houses. In the above photo, Choupette stars in a campaign for Opel.
Image: Adam Opel AG
Legendary remarks
Sweatpants are a sign of defeat, Lagerfeld famously claimed. People lose control of their lives and "go out on the street in sweatpants," he added. That was probably not true for the Chanel variety he designed in 2014 as part of a campaign targeting "leisure activities with a professional background," which was, in fact, how Lagerfeld described his job. "Standing on an assembly line, that's work."
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/H. Ballhausen
Soul of Chanel
Lagerfeld's looks, his quick tongue, his muses and the cult surrounding his Burmese cat were enough to make him a brand in his own right. But first and foremost, he was the soul of the house of Chanel. He had been creating haute couture and pret-a-porter collections up throughout his life. He died on February 19, 2019, at the age of 85.
