Few individuals epitomize style and luxury as Karl Lagerfeld. His ingenious work for Chanel and Fendi has been revolutionary and his iconic status is forever etched in stone. However, there’s a side of the designer that many don’t know. In a rare interview in T: The New York Times Style Magazine, the enigmatic designer speaks candidly about what goes on in his brilliant head, and it’s not always about fashion.
A self-proclaimed workaholic, Lagerfeld never stops doing what he loves, which is working in fashion. But his drive for living in the present is a large part of who he is. Having grown up in an idyllic part of Germany, he spent the greater part of his youth reading and sketching, hoping to become a cartoonist one day. Lagerfeld never finished school, but remained a voracious reader and came into his own when he worked for couturier Jean Patou and later Chloe.
Ever the forward-thinking visionary, he passed on attending a retrospective of his past collections in Bonn, Germany, claiming “I’m more interested in the ones I’m trying to design now.” His love for art and design extends into films—silent films in particular—which he considers “images” rather than movies. When it comes to his personal life, he credits his sapphire-eyed cat Choupette as having made him “a better person.” At the age of 82, Lagerfeld is still considered the Prince of Fashion, and continues to remain eccentric and creative throughout his life as a photographer, author, costume designer, and weight loss guru.
Read more on the interview between Karl Lagerfeld and Andrew O’Hagan here.
