Tonight, I am honored and privileged to introduce our guest of honor and recipient of our Lifetime Achievement Award for Innovation. If you have a flair for clothes, then this man’s name has probably been somewhere on your body!
During his long and distinguished career, our guest has rewritten the rules of the fashion world, and in the process, been a role model and mentor for many designers who have revolutionized this industry. For seven decades, he has worked with and for every member of the Who’s Who in Fashion.
Our guest of honor was born in Hamburg, Germany and may have learned his craft from his mother, who sold lingerie. He formally started in the fashion business in 1955. Indeed, he has charmed us with his insight and flair for almost 60 years, but back when he was 21, our guest was an apprentice for Pierre Balmain, not a bad job to pick up after coming in second to Yves Saint-Laurent in a coat design contest. He worked for Balmain for three years, then moved on to Jean Patou where he put together ten collections in a five year period. Not even 30 years old yet, our honoree was already causing a buzz in the fashion world. Unfortunately, it wasn’t always for the right reasons. Still known as Roland Karl, he designed the shortest skirts in Paris in 1960, and caused quite a negative buzz. Disgruntled, he took the next two years off, to become a student of life.
Thankfully, Roland came back, working as a freelancer for twenty years after his return. He opened a small shop in his beloved Paris, and went to work for some moderately successful designers. Curious about his future, Roland would often visit the local fortune teller and was pleased to hear her say that he would make his mark in fashion and perfume. The fortune teller must have known something because Roland quickly made an impact. Working for Tiziani, his designs began to catch the eyes of the rich and famous. Elizabeth Taylor wore his dresses. Gina Lollobrigada and Doris Duke took his clothes out for a spin. He moved on to work for Chloe, and then Fendi. Whichever house he was designing for turned into the house for fashion critics to pay attention to. His interests expanded. Fur coats became part of his line. So did shoes. Theatrical productions became his clients. The hoi polloi of society became his friends.
Heading into the 1980’s, Roland was now best known by his given name, the one he had shunned earlier in life because the critics could not spell it correctly. He started working on his own clothing line, one which bore his name – the name we all know and love – Karl Lagerfeld. His goal was to “channel intellectual sexiness!” He went THERE and beyond. Within 10 years, Vogue, the crown jewel of fashion magazines, declared that Lagerfeld was the “unparalleled interpreter of the mood of the moment.”
His thumbprint is seen all over the fashion world – from the box jacket with denim mini-skirts, to black fishnet body-stockings with the Chanel name ably covering over the breasts. Karl has also showed a sense of humor, designing the shower-dress, the car-dress and a wide array of wacky hats, making him the pride of women who attended the Kentucky Derby!
Karl is even known in the fitness world. As if designing clothes wasn’t enough, he made the decision as a 65-year old man to fit into more clothes, and lost 95 pounds. Unabashed, the magazines wrote in glowing terms of his weight loss, and his eating secret became better known as the Karl Lagerfeld diet. Who would have ever thought that Lagerfeld would be the fitness guru of his generation?
Our honoree is also a noted photographer and has published books of his work. The famous singer Mariah Carey chose to be one of his more meaningful subjects, and his work behind the camera is regularly seen in Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar and other world famous fashion publications.
In conclusion, our man of the hour is a legend, but works under his own terms. He has never settled for his success and is always breaking new ground, keeping him active as a fashion innovator, even though he is almost 80 years old. As if being one of the world’s most famous designers isn’t enough, he also serves as the voice of K109 radio in the Grand Theft Auto game, introducing him to a brand new audience and generating a whole new wave of fans. Of course, his name is always in the world news, but calling Adele “fat” and Princess Kate Middleton “not too good looking” is always going to keep one’s name in the headlines. But aside from his occasional verbal shortfalls, we are honored with his presence tonight, as our organization honors him with our Lifetime Achievement Award for Innovation. Ladies and gentlemen, it is my pleasure to introduce my mentor, my friend and my idol, the King of Fashion -- Mr. Karl Lagerfeld!
References
“Karl Lagerfeld Biography: Fashion Designer Biography. Fashion Week News. Nov. 5, 2007.
Wigham, Helen. “Who’s Who – Karl Lagerfeld.” Vogue. Jun. 2011.
