Iconic Fashion Designer Karl Lagerfeld Passes Away; Tributes Pour in

German fashion designer and one of the most prominent faces in the world of high fashion; Karl Lagerfeld passed away on Tuesday morning. He was 85. He began having health complications in the month of January this year.

The fashion icon was admitted to the American Hospital of Paris in France on 18 February and he passed away the next day. The cause of his death has been kept private.

Rumours of his ill health began doing the rounds when he skipped Chanel’s January show.

Heartfelt Tributes

Tributes dedicated to the “creative genius” began pouring in from all corners of the world. Editor-in-chief of Vogue magazine Anna Wintour posted, “Today the world lost a giant among men.”

Fashion designer and the current Vice President of the Versace group, Donatella Versace posted, “Karl your genius touched the lives of so many, especially Gianni and I. We will never forget your incredible talent and endless inspiration. We were always learning from you.”

Former supermodel Claudia Schiffer said, "What Warhol was to art, he was to fashion; he is irreplaceable. He is the only person who could make black and white colourful."

Among Indian designers, Manish Malhotra, Anaita Shroff Adajania and Manish Arora honoured him by posting their tributes on social media. Manish Malhotra wrote, “End of an era.....19 February 2019.”

Karl Lagerfeld’s immense contribution to fashion

Besides his immense contribution to the world of fashion, Karl became popular for his signature ponytail and dark glasses. The talented designer entered the big wide world of fashion when he was a sixteen-year-old boy. He entered a coat design competition and won the competition. It was during that period when he became close to Yves Saint Laurent.

Later he began freelancing for a variety of brands and was shortly hired by ‘Fendi.’ With his innovative and creative ideas, ‘Fendi’ garnered immense recognition.

‘Chanel’ began losing its prominence after the death of Coco Chanel, however when Karl was hired after her death, he gave a massive boost to the company with his innovative ideas. He revamped the ready-to-wear fashion line and brought Chanel to the forefront. He worked endlessly with ‘Fendi’ and ‘Chanel’ until his death.

Earlier he was tied up with top brands like Jean Patou, Chloe, H&M, Macy’s and Falabella.

Even though he’s considered to be a creative genius of fashion, he’s had his own share of controversies. Karl was known to be blunt and his bold statements often landed him in controversy. He was highly criticized for using fur of animals in his varied creations and People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) often labelled him as a ‘designer dinosaur’. He again caused a storm in the entertainment industry in 2012 when he called singer Adele “A little too fat.”

The German designer owned a cute pet cat called Choupette that had nearly 100,000 followers on Instagram. It’s said that Choupette was treated like royalty and took up a few modelling assignments. Karl once said that he would marry his pet if it was legal. It’s being said that the rich feline may inherit a part of his fortune too.

The German fashion designer was so passionate about his work that he worked until he died. He is known to be the highest paid creative director in the world. Karl has left a rich legacy behind and his name will definitely go down in history for being one of the most prolific and distinctive figures in the world of high fashion.