This is a fake photo
But it could be real.
I once had dinner with Karl Lagerfeld (and 50 other people).
I even shook his glove once (with him in it).
And I tried on a pair of his gloves (we all did).
I worked for his company twice for about a year. That was in my past life, b.c. (=before crypto). Both of those years were the best ones of my professional career. The problem was, that I just really really didn't care about fashion... :D
"I have no human feelings" [KL]
I couldn't stand Karl. Until 2006 at least. Every time I saw him on German TV I had to switch the channel because I felt so bad for the interviewers. He would negate every single sentence they said or question they asked. He must have been hard work for them...
And then I started working at his company. Actually I was working for Tommy Hilfiger back then, but Tommy and Karl did a joint venture and produced a jeans line together, so I got to set up the Operations department for that.
Now that I was sort of connected to him, I had to pay a little more attention. And when he was on TV, I couldn't switch away. This was my work. Whatever he said on TV affected our brand and our sales.
Now that I had to be interested, I actually began to admire him - his quick wits, his intelligence, his discipline, and his 1,000 % commitment to creativity and all facettes of design.
"Did you hear what he said on that show last night? We should print that on a t-shirt!" That's something you would hear around our office a lot.
"I am my own Google" [KL]
He also had a great sense of humor. My colleagues, who were directly working with him, often came back from Paris, commenting on that.
One colleague spent the day fitting dresses on models one time, when Karl walked passed her, looked at the model and whispered in my colleagues ear, "I don't know what I was thinking. This dress looks like shit!" And then he walked away.
“I am too old for sex” [KL]
After my time at Karl Lagerfeld, I was done with the fashion world. I had thoroughly enjoyed my work, and my colleagues, and the free clothes :) but in terms of consumerism and ego and commerce, there's few industries worse than fashion.
I had spent 8 years of my life in this world and made a nice career, but at some point I had this realisation, "Who cares whether Karl Lagerfeld or Tommy Hilfiger exist? What will change if one of them dies? Nothing..."
Well, turns out I do care a little. It's been a significant part of my life.
It's been the most interesting thing about me if you ask some of my family members, LOL (who have no grasp of what I do now. At least Karl Lagerfeld was a name they recognized. But what is Bitcoin?? XD)
“I’m very much down to earth, just not this earth” [KL]
The era of the big fashion guru's is now officially over. Versace, Dior, Yves Saint-Laurent - they've all been gone for a while. Karl was the last man standing. All the leftover's now are just corporations.
He was the first celebrity to launch a mainstream collection with H&M.
He was the first designer to launch a collection 100% online in 2012. (My job was to make sure the warehouse was stocked up the moment he hit the launch button on an iPad! What a ride...)
I fully expected him to be the first one to launch a collection on the blockchain and accept Bitcoin for it :) But... he's designing on another earth now!
One thing we can look forward to now, is his memoirs. They must be juicy... He always said they will only be published after his death.
R.I.P. Karl Lagerfeld.
PS. That fake photo up there is my face on Victoria Beckham's body. Someone made it for me when I left the company in 2007. I returned in 2011 for another year.