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Learn more about how Karl Lagerfeld transformed not only Chanel, but the fashion industry by reimagining the role of a creative director on In Vogue: The 1990s. Joining Vogue’s editorial team on this episode are, in order of appearance: Muse and stylist Amanda Harlech, fashion historian Kimberly M. Jenkins, designers Eric Wright and Tom Ford, Condé Nast Artistic Director and Vogue Editor-in-Chief Anna Wintour, and model Claudia Schiffer.

In Vogue: The 1990s airs Fridays from September 17. Listen to it on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google, or wherever you get your podcasts. The LEGO Group is a launch sponsor.

Listen to “Episode 4: Karl Lagerfeld the Creative Director,” here.

Listen to “Episode 3: Brand Americana,” here.

Listen to “Episode 2: Grunge Strikes Back,” here.

Listen to “Episode 1: The Rise of the Supermodel,” here.

Niki Taylor in Chanel.Photographed by Arthur Elgort, Vogue, January 1994

Karl Lagerfeld

German fashion designer (1933–2019)

Not to be confused with Karl-Gustav Lagerfelt, a Swedish diplomat.

Karl Otto Lagerfeld (German:[kaʁlˈʔɔtoːˈlaːɡɐˌfɛlt]; 10 September 1933 – 19 February 2019) was a German fashion designer, photographer, and creative director.

Lagerfeld began his career in fashion in the 1950s, working for several top fashion houses including Balmain, Patou, and Chloé before joining Chanel in 1983. As the creative director of Chanel from 1983 until his death, he oversaw every aspect of the fashion house's creative output, from designing collections to photographing advertising campaigns and arranging store displays. He was instrumental in revitalizing the Chanel brand, helping it regain its position as one of the top fashion houses in the world. He was also creative director of the Italian fur and leather goods fashion house Fendi, as well as his own eponymous fashion label. Throughout his career, he collaborated on numerous fashion, design, and art-related projects, and his photography was exhibited in galleries and collected in published volumes.

Lagerfeld was recognised for his signature white hair, black sunglasses, fingerless gloves, and high-starched detachable collars.

Early life

Karl Otto Lagerfeld was born in Hamburg on 10 September 1933 to Elisabeth (née Bahlmann) and Otto Lagerfeld. His father, coming from a family of wealthy wine-merchants, was a prosperous businessman and polyglot, speaking nine languages; his father owned an import company (Lagerfeld & Co.) specialising in evaporated milk, leading him to work with the American dairy company Carnation. During his travels, his father was present during the great 1906 San Francisco earthquake, escaping unharmed. A fluent speaker of Russian, his father had even attempted to gain citizenship into the country at the start of World War I, leading to an accusation of espionage and a three-year

(Image credit: Photography: Jean-Claude Sauer/Paris Match via Getty Images)

Karl Lagerfeld, who passed away aged 85 in 2019, joined the house of Chanel in 1983. In his tenure as creative director of the famed Parisian maison, Lagerfeld was renowned for creative, showstopping runway sets, not just at the Grand Palais in Paris, but across a host of locations, from Cuba to Dubai. The immersive and cinematic sets resembled, variously, windfarms and polar landscapes (complete with a real iceberg), airport departure lounges, space stations and supermarkets. Here, in celebration of Lagerfeld’s boundless creativity, we look back at Chanel's most awe-inspiring show set design.

Karl Lagerfeld’s 20 greatest Chanel show sets

(Image credit: Chanel)

(Image credit: Olivier Saillant)

(Image credit: Chanel)

(Image credit: Olivier Saillant)

(Image credit: Chanel)

(Image credit: Olivier Saillant)

(Image credit: Chanel)

(Image credit: Olivier Saillant)

(Image credit: Chanel)

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