How does one make a biography of an artist, if the artist refuses to acknowledge he is one? , the late German coutier, and subject of ‘s new biopic series , “always bristled at designers who thought they were artists,” says Miles Socha, editor, at trade journal . “He’d say: ‘You’re a dressmaker, that’s all.'” Lagerfeld was a fashion icon — the — without a signature style.
His close friend and bitter competitor Yves Saint Laurent (their rivalry, professional and romantic, is at the center of ), is credited with inventing the safari jacket, the Mondrian dress, and Le Smoking, the female tuxedo. But Lagerfeld’s impact on the fashion industry, which many would argue was far greater than YSL’s, cannot be sketched out with reference to an outfit or hemline. Instead, over a career that stretched from the 1960s to the 2010s, he helped transform the business of fashion itself.
Most famously, he rescued Chanel. When Lagerfeld took over as Chanel’s art director in 1983, he revived the label, which had been floundering since the death of founder Coco Canel in 1971, rejuvenating the brand — including creating the label’s now-iconic interlocking CC monogram — and restoring Chanel to the summit of international luxury. Lagerfeld pulled off a similar revival with Fendi and Chloé, two labels he worked with for decades.
“I think Karl was very prescient in seeing that rejuvenating and animating heritage brands would be the future of fashion,” says Socha. .
