MARRIOTT BUZZ NO. 15 - 2019

22 FA S H I ON farewell to an Iconic Pioneer of Fashion Rising Star Supposedly born in 1933 to German parents in Hamburg, as he was, in true Lagerfeld fashion, well-known to insist that no one knew his real birth date, saying in an interview in 2009 that “I am born neither in 1933 nor 1938.” Lagerfeld as a child fostered an innate passion for the visual arts, and remarked that he learnt more through his constant visits to the Kunsthalle Hamburg museum, than he ever did from his schooling. He became heavily influenced by French artists, and claimed to have only continued school in order to learn French so that he might move to France one day. Indeed, he did. Not only did he move to France, he would end up moving much of France itself, through his indelible influence on one of its most prized cultural possessions, its world-renowned trade of designer fashion. Trendsetting Genius Lagerfeld got his start by winning a coat design competition that saw him gain apprenticeship under none other than Yves Saint Laurent and later Pierre Balmain. After successfully heading the Jean Patou label in a six-year spell, he studied art history in Rome and soon started freelance designing for reputable brands. These included Valentino and Chloé, the latter of which he tastefully reimagined in a flea-market vintage style, turning retro into chic, decades before it actually was. He was hired by Italian house Fendi in 1967, and it was here that Lagerfeld made his second monumental contribution to haute couture. His innovative designs proved groundbreaking, most notably was his introduction of mole, rabbit and squirrel pelts into runway fashion, revolutionizing the use of fur in designer wear. Lagerfeld remained with Fendi until his death. The Chanel Chapter In another stirring visionary success, Lagerfeld’s gamble that the future of haute couture would be in ready- Before his recent passing on February 19 th , Karl Lagerfeld once said of himself; “I am very much down to earth, just not this earth.” An enigmatic persona, he was the puppet-master of the fashion world, which was his eternal muse, and who for so long pulled its expensive threads towards his ideals. Lagerfeld’s legacy is that of a visionary creator who left his timeless designs, both aesthetic and philosophic, on much beyond just haute couture. As his illustrious career suggests, Lagerfeld was an icon because he was a veritable pioneer, changing the face of fashion by breaking conventions and inventing new ones, and convincing the rest of us, rather effortlessly, of his genius in doing so along the way.