Karl Lagerfeld

Karl Lagerfeld can be best described as the creative power who revived one of the most prominent brands in fashion, the House of Chanel, turning it into a multimillion-dollar churning enterprise. Born in Hamburg, Karl moved to Paris at the age of 14 and, three years later, a coat design competition earned him a job with Pierre Balmain. After working successfully for a number of top fashion houses in Paris, Karl made his way to Italy. Here, furthered his education before making his way back to the world of fashion and working for some of the most well-known labels in the 70s that included powerhouses Fendi and Chloe. Karl made his career-defining move to Chanel in 1983.

His designs for the super-chic fashion house propelled the label to the pinnacle of highest strata of fashion in the 80s and the 90s. By 1997, Vogue Magazine had crowned him the ‘unparalleled interpreter of the mood of the moment’. Although he continued to design for Chanel, Lagerfeld launched his own label in 1984 that offered what he termed ‘intellectual sexiness’, with bright colors and softly shaped knitwear.

The Renaissance man that Karl is, he also has a range of other interests, including languages and he can fluently speak German, English, French and Italian and has even expressed a desire to learn Spanish. The person who describes himself as an ‘intelligent opportunistic’ and ‘professional dilettante’ simply loves photography and has shot many of the Chanel campaigns himself including a series of nude portraits, starring South African model David Miller.