Karl Lagerfeld is a divisive character, yet he is one who is overwhelmingly important to the fashion industry as we know it. Last week, Lagerfeld died at the age of 85, and a slew of models, photographers, designers and all sorts of fashion icons mourned his passing on social media.
Lagerfeld was a German fashion designer, artist, photographer and creative director who spent most of his life in Paris. In 1967, he was hired by the Italian luxury brand Fendi, and he went on to become the creative director for Chanel in 1983. He held both positions until his death.
With supermodels like Gigi Hadid posting things like, “Karl, I will miss your incredible presence,” and Jason Momoa wearing a Lagerfeld suit to the Oscars, it’s easy to think back on the man fondly. The man with the white hair, black sunglasses, high collars and an amazing presence will always be remembered for his incredible contributions to fashion. But what about his more controversial moments?
Not surprisingly, a man who is considered an icon of ’80s and ’90s fashion has said some less-than-sensitive things about people’s bodies. After Heidi Klum posed naked on the cover of GQ in 2009, Lagerfeld said she could never be a runway model because “she is simply too heavy and has too big a bust.”
In 2006, when asked about staying healthy in the industry, he said, “Vanity is the healthiest thing in life.” He was open about his dramatic weight loss — which most people today would consider an eating disorder — but like many in the fashion industry, it’s romanticized. As he said in 2010, “Well, there came this new line from Hedi Slimane at Dior that you needed to be slim to wear. It said: ‘You want this? Go back to your bones.’ And so I lost it all. I lost 88 pounds and never got them back.”
Lagerfeld didn’t hold back on his distasteful commentary — not even for other men. “The worst is ugly short men,” he said in 2003. “Women can be short, but for men it is impossible. It is something that they will not forgive in life — to be born short. I have never been friends with a short man in my life. Don’t trust them; they are mean, and they want to kill you.”
It should come as no surprise that when working for Fendi, a fur and leather company, for 52 years, one might run into issues with animal rights activists. Lagerfeld had many responses to this, but my favorite is the line, “It is farmers who are nice to the cows and the pigs and then kill them. It’s even more hypocritical than hunters. At least the hunters don’t flatter the animals.”
Despite all the controversy, the man is still highly revered. He is credited with singlehandedly turning around Chanel, as the brand was considered endangered when he took over. Although many had reason to detest him, the 2019 Milan Fashion Week became a dedication to Lagerfeld, with this year’s themes including green fashion and inclusion.
Maggy McDonel 