Karl Otto Lagerfeld (né Lagerfeldt; born September 10, 1933 in Hamburg, Germany - died February 19, 2019) was a German fashion designer, voice actor artist, and photographer.
Career[]
Recognized for his signature white hair, black sunglasses, fingerless gloves, and high, starched, detachable collars, he was regarded by the fashion industry as one of the important fashion designers of the century.
Lagerfeld collaborated with a variety of different fashion labels, most notably Chanel but also Chloé and Fendi. Furthermore, he owned several labels, which he launched in the early 1980s, in various industries including perfume and clothing. He also played a role in equipping leading artists.
He voiced himself as host of K109 The Studio radio station in Grand Theft Auto IV and Episodes from Liberty City.
Death[]
After health complications in January 2019, Lagerfeld was admitted to the American Hospital of Paris in Parisian suburb Neuilly-sur-Seine on 18 February. He died there the following morning from complications of pancreatic cancer.
Lagerfeld was memorialized on 20 June 2019 at the Grand Palais with "Karl For Ever", a celebration of the designer's life, which featured a career retrospective highlighting his tenures at Chloé, Fendi, and Chanel. The 90-minute tribute was attended by 2,500 guests. Nearly 60 gigantic portraits were on view within the pavilion, which has hosted many Chanel runway collections. The ceremony also included readings and musical performances by Tilda Swinton, Cara Delevingne, Helen Mirren, Pharrell Williams, and Lang Lang. The production was staged by theater and opera director Robert Carsen.
After the memorial, the house of Karl Lagerfeld announced in July 2019 the development of "The White Shirt Project". In homage to its eponymous founder, this collaboration celebrates the late designer's legacy with a collection of reimagined, iconic white shirts.
Lagerfeld once said: "If you ask me what I'd most like to have invented in fashion, I'd say the white shirt. For me, the white shirt is the basis of everything. Everything else comes after."
GTA Works[]
- Grand Theft Auto IV - Himself (2008)
- The Lost and Damned - Himself (2009)
- The Ballad of Gay Tony - Himself (2009)