House of CHANEL announced the passing of Mr. Karl Lagerfeld

An extraordinary creative individual, Karl Lagerfeld reinvented the brand’s codes created by Gabrielle Chanel: the CHANEL jacket and  suit, the little black dress, the precious tweeds, the two-tone shoes, the quilted handbags, the pearls and costume jewelry. Regarding Gabrielle Chanel, he said, “My job is not to do what she did, but what she would have done. The good thing about Chanel is it is an idea you can adapt to many things.”

A prolific creative mind with endless imagination, Karl Lagerfeld explored many artistic horizons, including photography and short films. The House of CHANEL benefited from his talent for all the branding campaigns related to Fashion since 1987. Finally, one cannot refer to Karl Lagerfeld without mentioning his innate sense of repartee and self-mockery.

Virginie Viard, Director of CHANEL’s Fashion Creation Studio and Karl Lagerfeld’s closest collaborator for more than 30 years, has been entrusted by Alain Wertheimer with the creative work for the collections, so that the legacy of Gabrielle Chanel and Karl Lagerfeld can live on.

Photo: JULIEN DE ROSA/EPA/ SCANPIX/LETA, CHARLES PLATIAU/REUTERS/ SCANPIX/LETA, LAURENT BENHAMOU/ SIPA/ SCANPIX / LETA, GONZALO FUENTES/ REUTERS/ SCANPIX/LETA, ARND WIEGMANN/ REUTERS/ SCANPIX/ LETA LAURENT VU/ SIPA/ SCANPIX/ LETA, RAMON ESPINOSA/AP/ SCANPIX/ LETA, OLIVIER SAILLANT