Kaisar Fesyen Dunia, Direktur Kreatif Chanel, Karl Lagerfeld Meninggal Dunia

DI usianya yang tak lagi muda, desainer Karl Lagerfeld tetap produktif. Saat orang-orang seusianya memilih hidup tenang di panti jompo atau menikmati pensiun, Lagerfeld malah sibuk menghasilkan ratusan rancangan apik.

Namun, sepak terjang Lagerfeld di dunia fesyen berhenti berdetak di usianya yang ke-85.

1. Chanel Umumkan Kematian Lagerfeld

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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 Chanel: the CHANEL jacket and suit, the little black dress, the precious tweeds, the two-tone shoes, the quilted handbags, the pearls and costume jewelry. 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.” A prolific creative mind with endless imagination, Karl Lagerfeld explored many artistic horizons, including photography and short films. The House of CHANEL benefited from his talent for all the branding campaigns related to Fashion since 1987. Finally, one cannot refer to Karl Lagerfeld without mentioning his innate sense of repartee and self-mockery. Alain Wertheimer, CEO of CHANEL, 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.” Bruno Pavlovsky, President of Fashion at CHANEL, said: “Fashion show after fashion show, collection after collection, Karl Lagerfeld left his mark on the legend of Gabrielle Chanel and the history of the House of CHANEL. He steadfastly promoted the talent and expertise of CHANEL’s ateliers and Métiers d’Art, allowing this exceptional know-how to shine throughout the world. The greatest tribute we can pay today is to continue to follow the path he traced by – to quote Karl – ‘continuing to embrace the present and invent the future’.” Virginie Viard, Director of CHANEL’s Fashion Creation Studio and Karl Lagerfeld’s closest collaborator for more than 30 years, has been entrusted by Alain Wertheimer with the creative work for the collections, so that the legacy of Gabrielle Chanel and Karl Lagerfeld can live on.

A post shared by CHANEL (@chanelofficial) on Feb 19, 2019 at 5:59am PST

Kabar kepergian desainer asal Jerman itu disampaikan Chanel, Selasa (19/2). Desainer paling produktif di abad 20 dan 21 itu meninggal di Paris. Usianya 85 tahun. "Dengan kesedihan mendalam, House of Chanel mengumumkan kematian Karl Lagerfeld," ujar pernyataan Chanel di akun Instagram mereka.

Lagerfeld merupakan direktur kreatif untuk rumah mode tersebut sejak 1983. Ketidakhadirannya pada gelaran Chanel di Januari lalu menjadi pertanda bahwa sang Kaisar Fesyen sedang dalam kondisi kesehatan yang kurang prima.

2. Memulai Karier di Usia Belia

Tahun lahir Lagerfeld masih menjadi misteri hingga saat ini. Ada yang menyebut ia lahir pada 1933, ada juga yang menyatakan ia lahir pada 1938. Yang pasti, Lagerfeld lahir di Hamburg, Jerman. Ayahnya ialah seorang Swedia.

Karier panjangnya di dunia mode bermula pada 1952, ketika ia menyaksikan fashion show Dior. Di usia belia, ia pindah ke Paris mengejar hasratnya di dunia fesyen. Dua tahun berselang, di 1954, Lagerfeld memenangi lomba desain coat. Desain karyanya kemudian dibuat oleh Pierre Balmain.

Sejak saat itu, petualangan Lagerfeld di dunia fesyen bermula. Ia pernah menjadi direktur seni untuk Jean Patou. Setelah itu, ia memulai kolaborasi bersama rumah mode asal Italia, Fendi, di 1965.

Namun, barulah ketika ia resmi ditunjuk sebagai direktur artistik Chanel pada 1983, nama Lagerfeld bersinar di dunia mode. Dari posisi itu, namanya mencuat hingga menjadi ikon selama tiga dekade. "Apa yang kulakukan di Chanel pastinya dibenci Coco," ujar Lagerfeld, seperti dilansir BBC.

Kelancangan Lagerfeld itu malah mengantarkan Chanel menjadi brand besar di dunia mode. "Aku melakukan apa yang tak penah Coco lakukan. Aku harus membawa Chanel menjadi apa yang seharusnya, apa yang ia mampu, menjadi sesuatu yang berbeda," ujarnya.

Posisi nyaman di Chanel enggak melenakan Lagerfeld. Setahun kemudian, ia merilis labelnya sendiri, Karl Lagerfeld. Bahkan, sejak 1987, Lagerfeld memotret sendiri kampanyenya.