Karl Lagerfeld, the creative director of luxury brands Chanel and Fendi, has died. He was 85 years old, and the news was confirmed by Chanel.
Per The New York Times, while other fashion directors chose to retire, Mr. Lagerfeld continued to work up until his death on Tuesday (Feb. 19) in Paris, designing “an average” of 14 new collections a year on his own, excluding collaborative projects.
“Mr. Lagerfeld never stopped creating,” the Times writes of the tireless worker. “He was also a photographer, whose work was exhibited at the Pinacothèque de Paris; a publisher, having founded his own imprint for Steidl, Edition 7L; and the author of a popular 2002 diet book, ‘The Karl Lagerfeld Diet,’ about how he had lost 92 pounds.”
Like many other luxury brands, Chanel and Fendi were loved by hip-hop figures such as Lil Kim, The Notorious B.I.G., Pharrell Williams, Nicki Minaj, Drake, Gucci Mane and more. The fashion houses were also mentioned in songs from artists such as “Still Dipset” by Jim Jones, “Chun-Li” by Nicki Minaj, “Chanel” by Frank Ocean, “She Bad” by Cardi B and many others.
“I was like a nerdy little black kid on a skateboard. So looking at high-end fashion was something that I really didn’t understand in the very beginning,” said Pharrell in 2017 of Chanel. The musician said that he was introduced to high-fashion through The Notorious B.I.G, and he was the first man to appear in a Chanel handbag campaign. Willow Smith was also named brand ambassador for Chanel in 2017.
Check out some choice Chanel and Fendi fits from hip-hop artists below. Rest in peace, Karl Lagerfeld.