The fates of Karl Lagerfeld and the house of Chanel have been interlinked since the German designer arrived at the maison in 1983.
Designing over eight collections a year for the house, it was Lagerfeld's drive, vision and unflagging work ethic that propelled it from a noted but stuffy brand beloved by the middle-aged to a global fashion powerhouse.
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The annual Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute ball, better known as the Met Gala or Met Ball, has unveiled the theme for its 2023 event — and it's in honour of late fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld. Photo: Net-a-Porter -
Lagerfeld at the Chanel spring/summer haute couture show in 2009. Reuters -
Lagerfeld with model Stella Tennant during Chanel's Metiers d'Art show in 2011. Reuters -
A look from the Chanel haute couture autumn/winter show for 2015-2016, designed by Lagerfeld. Photo: Chanel -
A behind-the-scenes look at Chanel’s autumn/winter haute couture 2016-2017 collection by Lagerfeld. Photo: Olivier Saillant -
A model during the Chanel haute couture autumn/winter 2018-2019 show. Getty Images -
A beachside setting was built in central Paris for Lagerfeld's spring/summer 2019 collection for Chanel. Photo: Chanel -
Lagerfeld with models after a show in 2011. Stephen Lock for The National -
Stella Tennant wears a look by Lagerfeld for Chanel's 1997 autumn/winter haute couture collection. AFP -
Models wearing tweed and plastic heads walk the runway in Chanel's spring/summer 2017 collection. Photo: Chanel -
Lagerfeld with Claudia Schiffer and Naomi Campbell at the finale of his Chanel 1997 spring/summer show in Paris. AP -
Cara Delevingne wears a look from Lagerfeld's autumn/winter 2019-2020 collection for Chanel. EPA -
Pink was prominent in Lagerfeld's Chanel cruise collection 2018. Getty Images -
Model Antonina Vasylchenko wears Look 42 at the Chanel 2014 spring/summer haute couture show in Paris. Photo: Chanel -
At the age of 21, Lagerfeld won first prize in the coat category at the Fashion Design Competition in Paris, on December 11, 1954. Getty Images -
Lagerfeld is seen with model Ines de la Fressange in this photo taken on March 13, 1987. AFP -
Lagerfeld in France, circa 1960. Gamma-Keystone via Getty Images -
In 1983, Lagerfeld joined Chanel as its chief artistic director. A year later, on March 5, 1984, he completed his haute couture collection in the Chanel studio on rue Cambon in Paris. Getty Images -
Lagerfeld in 1958. Getty Images -
The designer with two models, circa 1984. Getty Images -
Lagerfeld and model Lily-Rose Depp after Chanel's haute couture show in January 2017. EPA -
Lagerfeld with model Cara Delevingne, one of his many muses, at Paris Fashion Week in 2014. Getty Images -
Model Kendall Jenner and Lagerfeld at the Chanel show in Paris in 2015. Photo: Olivier Saillant
When Lagerfeld arrived at Chanel in 1983, he stepped into a company that had lost its way following the death of its founder Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel in 1971. Bereft of its figurehead and innovator, the company was adrift and struggling to regain its identity - to the point that Lagerfeld was advised against taking on the role of creative director when it was offered.
Luckily, he did accept and, armed with drive and passion, brought a much needed injection of flair and energy to the studio on Rue de Cambon. Driven by the avant garde spirit of Gabrielle Chanel before she became famous, Lagerfeld channelled her fresh approach to push the company forward into a new era.
Rather than rehashing her later work, Lagerfeld turned to Chanel's early designs, and built on her sense of androgynous chic, rethinking her costume jewellery and famous tweeds for a new audience. And now it is time for the mantle to be passed on to someone new.
In 2017, The National interviewed Chanel's head of fashion, Bruno Pavlovsky. When quizzed on how Chanel would fare without Lagerfeld, he was deeply respectful but adamant that the show would go on. "Today, it is Mr Lagerfeld. He is still active and very inspired. It is always amazing to see the sketches for the next haute couture collection.
"He is a genius. No doubt about that. Think of the work he has done over the past 30 years. He has made the brand strong, he has been able to clarify the direction of the brand, to reinterpret the cult of the brand and to push the brand for the future. So today Chanel is like a jewel, like a diamond. Everything is ready for the future.”
As precious as a gem, everything is in place to ensure Chanel will continue to shine, was the message.
At Chanel’s most recent haute couture show in Paris, Lagerfeld was not present for his traditional end of show bow. At the time, the house announced by tanoy that: "Mr Lagerfeld, artistic director of Chanel, who was feeling tired, asked Virginie Viard, director of the creative studio of the house, to represent him."
In the post-show notes distributed by Chanel, much was made of Viard's role at the house, and how all decisions were made by her and Lagerfeld, together.
Although Chanel always pays its respects to the behind-the-scenes team that pulls off the incredible feat that is haute couture, the inclusion of Viard's name next to Lagerfeld’s was a first, and a sign of things to come.
Chanel has now announced that Viard "has been entrusted with the creative work for the collections, so that the legacy of Gabrielle Chanel and Karl Lagerfeld can live on".
Having worked alongside Lagerfeld for most of his 30-plus years at Chanel, Viard is a safe pair of hands. And just as the house was able to survive the passing of its founder, so too will it be able to thrive under Viard’s stewardship.
