It’s been almost a month since the sudden passing of designer Karl Lagerfeld and the fashion world is still grieving. His loss was certainly felt today in Paris at the Chanel Fall 2019 show, where a minute of silence was followed by a recording of Lagerfeld’s voice. The show was followed by a standing ovation and no final bow.
Ahead of today’s show, Chanel released one of Lagerfeld’s final interviews on its 3.55 podcast series. The interview, in collaboration with Monocle magazine and Tyler Brûlé, occurred after the Pre-Fall 2019 show in December. The conversation centers on Lagerfeld’s creativity and working process at the Parisian house.
When Brûlé asked about the specific woman or man Lagerfeld had in mind when creating clothes for Chanel, Lagerfeld replied, “My job is to propose a fantasy. Whoever wants it, whoever likes it, whatever it would be the use of it, I’m not there to say that this is for this kind of woman, this kind of man. No. It’s for all kinds, it depends on who likes it.”
Over the years, Lagerfeld has indeed made many fantasies a reality. His final collections for Fendi, presented in Milan last week, and today’s Chanel collection are reminders that his genius is truly one of a kind. Listen to the interview and check out the Chanel Fall 2019 collection below.