The Bite Magazine - Spring/Summer 2024 - Issue 35

bitedesignerprofile The designer opened 7L in Paris in 1999 as a destination for fashion art, including books on haute couture, textiles, and jewellery. It also holds his produced publications featuring his work and volumes on other topics he was passionate about, such as landscapes and cookery. The Karl Lagerfeld Diet book, released in 2004 and written with his physician Jean-Claude Houdret, detailed his weight-loss method after he lost 93 Ibs following a strict diet. “I suddenly wanted to dress differently, to wear clothes de- signed by Hedi Slimane,” he explained his lifestyle change. “But these fashions required me to lose at least eighty pounds. I did not think losing so much weight in one year was possible. In fact, it took me exactly thirteen months.” That same year, he became the first luxury fashion designer to collaborate with H&M, unveiling a capsule collection with the high-street retailer. Brands like Lanvin, Simone Rocha, Viktor & Rolf and others followed suit. The Couture Council of New York’s Fashion Institute of Tech- nology honoured the designer with The Fashion Visionary award in 2010. He also received the Commander’s Cross of the Legion of Honour (Croix de Commandeur de la Legion d’Honneur) from French President Nicolas Sarkozy. Two years later, Lagerfeld and Net-a-Porter launched a line entitled ‘Karl’, a collection of covetable downtown classics, focusing on everyday separates with a rock and roll street vibe and a dose of leather. In 2015, the designer was awarded the Outstanding Achieve- ment Award at the British Fashion Awards. “Karl Lagerfeld defines outstanding,” Natalie Massenet MBE said when announcing the award. “He is the champion of excellence, the master of the exceptional and one of our industry’s most iconic figures globally.” He then received the Grand Vermeil medal, the highest honour in Paris, at Chanel’s Fall 2017 couture show. The following year, he walked the runway at Chanel’s Métier d’Art 2018-19 show at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City for the last time. In his quiet moments, Lagerfeld was a voracious reader and collector of art, books, and fashion history. He drew from varied cultural and historical references, from the Rocco pe- riod to punk rock, infusing his designs with a rich tapestry of influences. His ability to reinterpret and decontextualise these inspirations kept his work fresh and relevant across decades. His talent as a photographer and illustrator captured fashion campaigns and produced significant work outside clothing design. www.karl.com/gb-en KARL LAGERFELD DESIGN CONCEPT