Karl Lagerfeld has a very creative background. He was a fashion designer, creative director, photographer & caricaturist. His success story is an example of why people shouldn’t fear risks. He was a prolific artist who lived through 20th and 21st centuries.
Often people in the fashion industry label him as the definition of luxury.
Early Life:—
On 10th September 1933, Karl Lagerfeld was born in the city of Hamburg, Germany. During his entire lifetime, he insisted that he was not born in 1933. He misrepresented his birth date & other details quite much.
Since childhood, he had an interest in art. For instance, his mates said he was always seen drawing irrespective of what was going on. Karl Lagerfeld said he learned more by visiting Kunsthalle Hamburg Museum than from the school.
In 1955, he won the coat designing competition sponsored by the International Wool Secretariat. After this competition, he befriended Yves Saint Laurent. Pierre Balmain hired him as an assistant. Later in 1964, he went to Rome to study art history. Simultaneously, he worked as a design freelancer for major fashion brands.
Fendi Rome hired him in 1967 to improvise their fur line. He made the entire collection look high fashion.
Memorable Works:—
During the Nineteen Eighties Chanel, the near-dead brand for that point hired Karl Lagerfeld. Even the designers gave up the desire with Chanel. But Karl Lagerfeld turned the tables with the creation of a ready-to-wear line for Chanel. He integrated the monograph of Coco Chanel the interlocked ‘CC’ in the designs.
The House of Chanel would’ve been an tremendous French tragedy. But it turned into Karl Lagerfeld, who believed in the label and worked hard for the position. Now, Chanel is counted amongst one of the predominant luxurious brands.
Later in 1984, he installed his very own brand named ‘Karl Lagerfeld’. His reason with this brand was to combine the ‘intellectual sexiness’ in the fashion lines. He collaborated with many manufacturers together with Diesel, H&M, Vans, etc.
Awards & Recognition
1954 First prize in the coat category in a competition organized by the International Wool Association in Paris.
2010 Fashion Visionary Award from the Couture Council of New York’s Fashion Institute of Technology
2010 Commander’s Cross of the Legion of Honor (Croix de Commandeur de la Legion d’Honneur) by the French President
2015 Outstanding Achievement Award at the British Fashion Awards
2017 The Grand Vermeil medal, which is the highest honor in Paris, at Chanel’s Fall 2017 couture show
Lesson to learn:—
An ordinary man from the city of Hamburg went to Paris and rocked the fashion industry. Everyone dreams of a luxurious life, very little work for it. For instance, Karl Lagerfeld said ‘Improvise. Become more creative.
Not because you have to, but because you want to. Evolution is the secret for the next step.’ Similarly, people who work hard for their dreams are successful sooner or later.
Courtesy:— Failure Before Success