Karl Lagerfeld dead: Fashion icon and Chanel creative director dies aged 85

Fashion icon Karl Lagerfeld has died at the age of 85, Chanel has confirmed.

Reports claim the Chanel and Fendi creative director passed away at the American Hospital in Paris. His successor has been named as Virginie Viard, who previously held the role of fashion creation studio director at the label.

Speculation regarding Lagerfeld’s health began circulating in January after he did not attend Chanel’s haute couture show. In previous years, he has walked the runway himself during the show’s finale.

Lagerfeld was one of the most successful and recognisable figures in the fashion industry, having spent almost 70 years working in the business.

He was best known for his work at Chanel where he had worked since 1983, which is when he was appointed artistic director.

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In an official statement, Chanel said: “It is with deep sadness that the House of Chanel announces the passing of Karl Lagerfeld, the creative director for the Chanel Fashion House since 1983.

“An extraordinary creative individual, Karl Lagerfeld reinvented the brand’s codes created by Gabrielle [Coco] Chanel: the Chanel jacket and suit, the little black dress, the precious tweeds, the two-tone shoes, the quilted handbags, the pearls and costume jewellery. Regarding Gabrielle Chanel, he said, ‘My job is not to do what she did, but what she would have done. The good thing about Chanel is it is an idea you can adapt to many things.”’

Chanel CEO Alain Wertheimer said: “Thanks to his creative genius, generosity and exceptional intuition, Karl Lagerfeld was ahead of his time, which widely contributed to the House of Chanel’s success throughout the world. Today, not only have I lost a friend but we have all lost an extraordinary creative mind to whom I gave carte blanche in the early 1980s to reinvent the brand.”

Meanwhile, a post on the official Instagram account for Lagerfeld’s own label described him as “one of the greatest designers of our time”.

Tributes to the late designer have been pouring in from people in the fashion industry, including designers Donatella Versace, Henry Holland and Caroline Rush, chief executive at the British Fashion Council, who said: “We are deeply saddened to learn the news of Karl Lagerfeld’s passing today.”

Bernard Arnault, chairman and CEO of LVMH, the French company that owns Fendi, also wrote a tribute to the late designer on Instagram, saying “we owe him a great deal”.

“The death of this dear friend deeply saddens me, my wife and my children,” he added. “We loved and admired him deeply. Fashion and culture have lost a great inspiration.”

British Vogue editor Edward Enninful released a statement to say he was “deeply saddened” to hear of Lagerfeld’s passing, while TV presenter-turned-designer Alexa Chung praised his wit and generosity.

Actor Diane Kruger revealed on Instagram that she wanted to introduce Lagerfeld to her daughter in Paris this week.

“I cannot tell you how much you meant to me and how much I will miss you,” she wrote.

Other celebrities who have posted messages mourning Lagerfeld include Gigi Hadid, Victoria Beckham and Lewis Hamilton.