In 1982 the house of Chanel was something of a grand old lady. Despite the brand’s history of early 20th century innovation, it had become boring and bougie. Enter Karl Lagerfeld (then also working for Chloé and Fendi), who realized at once that the company needed more than a face-lift. Always prolific, at the same time that Lagerfeld was transforming Chanel, he was creating a blueprint for the role of a creative director that is still being followed today.
“A lot of people said that [Chanel] was a dead house,” remembers designer Eric Wright, Lagerfeld’s right hand for decades, “and I think he liked the challenge of showing people that they were wrong. That there was something there to be done.” Any designer coming into an existing brand must decide how to deal with its history; Lagerfeld’s way of honoring the brand heritage was not by imitating, but iterating on it. Having immersed himself in all things Chanel, Lagerfeld was able to take a know-the-rules-to-break-the-rules approach to his work.
The designer had a large vocabulary of Chanelisms to play with—including the tweed suit, the lbd, quilting, the camellia, golden chains (used to weigh down jackets, and for belts and bag chains), the number five, etc. To that he added the image of Chanel herself. He also created the double-C logo that became recognizable everywhere, just as the world and the fashion industry were going global, aided by advancements in communication.
Status translates into any language, and Chanel has always been an exclusive brand. Lagerfeld was able to take the brand off its pedestal without it losing any of its luster. In the process of reinventing Chanel, the designer was also transformed, and became an icon himself.
Lagerfeld always said he wanted to look forward, not back, and, as In Vogue host Hamish Bowles puts it, the designer “set out to change the fashion world by making something old new again.” He did this by creating an always up-to-date dialogue between the house codes and pop culture. In this way he brought the world to Chanel, and Chanel to the world.
Learn more about how Karl Lagerfeld transformed not only Chanel, but the fashion industry by reimagining the role of a creative director on In Vogue: The 1990s. Joining Vogue’s editorial team on this episode are, in order of appearance: Muse and stylist Amanda Harlech, fashion historian Kimberly M. Jenkins, designers Eric Wright and Tom Ford, Condé Nast Artistic Director and Vogue Editor-in-Chief Anna Wintour, and model Claudia Schiffer.
In Vogue: The 1990s airs Fridays from September 17. Listen to it on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google, or wherever you get your podcasts. The LEGO Group is a launch sponsor.
Listen to “Episode 4: Karl Lagerfeld the Creative Director,” here.
Listen to “Episode 3: Brand Americana,” here.
Listen to “Episode 2: Grunge Strikes Back,” here.
Listen to “Episode 1: The Rise of the Supermodel,” here.
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