Alas, the day has come when Karl Lagerfeld and his legacy will be displayed in a museum. The fashion figure once said, “I don’t want to be in a museum, I don’t want to build an empire,” shading his rival Yves Saint Laurent. But, in May 2023, the Metropolitan Museum of Art will display Lagerfeld’s work across several fashion houses for the Met Gala. The theme for 2023 will be ‘Karl Lagerfeld: a Line of Beauty.’ The event will translate his sketches into 3D clothes.
Karl Lagerfeld left the fashion world in shock when he died on February 19, 2019. Karl was a beloved designer, a nocturnal genius who never accepted anything less than high fashion. When he joined Chanel, the designer’s long-term haven, he changed the face of the brand. Lagerfeld was highly criticized for letting the originality of the brand fade, he envisioned something novel for the brand. The elegance factor, amalgamated with contemporariness, defined his work at Chanel. From Chloé to Fendi to Chanel to his own brand, one thing that remained unchanged is his urge to be politically incorrect. Let’s look back at some of the controversial moments in his life.
Related: Who Was Karl Lagerfeld? Why Met Gala 2023 Will Pay Tribute To Him?
10) Karl Lagerfeld’s Views On Gay Marriage
The Chanel visionary, Karl Lagerfeld, has always been without a filter. He maintained that when he spoke about gay marriage in 2010. During an interview with Vice, Lagerfeld made it clear that he was against gays adopting babies, but he approved of lesbians having children. Talking about his anti-gay marriage stance, he said, “I’m against it for a very simple reason: In the 60s they all said we had the right to the difference. And now, suddenly, they want a bourgeois life.”
Talking about the adoption situation, he said, “For me, it’s difficult to imagine—one of the papas at work and the other at home with the baby. How would that be for the baby? I don’t know. I see more lesbians married with babies than I see boys married with babies. And I also believe more in the relationship between mother and child than in that between father and child.”
9) Lagerfeld Said He Admired Porn And Prostitution
In the same interview with Vice, Karl made it clear that he hired “sex workers” for sex because he did not like to sleep with people he loved. He said, “I don’t like sleeping with people I really love. I don’t want to sleep with them because sex cannot last, but affection can last forever. I think this is healthy. And for the way the rich live, this is possible. But the other world, I think they need porn.”
Karl added, “I admire porn. I admire porn actors. Frustration is the mother of crime, and so there would be much more crime without prostitutes and porn movies…[but] I personally only like high-class escorts.”
8) The Designer Called Male Models “Sordid Creatures”
In 2018, many former and working models come forward to speak about harassment experiences. The people in question were Mario Testino, a renowned photographer, and Bruce Weber. The models complained that they touched them inappropriately in the garb of exercises.
During an interview with Numéro Magazine, Lagerfeld came in defense of the stylist Karl Templer who was accused of sexual assault. He lashed out at models and expressed reservations about creating a men’s collection. He said, “Drawing a men’s collection and having to put up with all those stupid models, no thanks.”
He continued, “Not to mention the fact with all their accusations of harassment they have become quite toxic. No, no, no, don’t leave me alone with one of those sordid creatures…” Karl added, “If you don’t want your pants pulled about, don’t become a model. Join a nunnery, there’ll always be a place for you in the convent.”
7) Criticizing Kate Middleton’s Sister, Pippa Middleton
Karl Lagerfeld had the bad habit of giving his two cents on some of the most absurd and irrelevant things. He once shaded Pippa Middleton, who became the talk of the town at Prince William and Kate Middleton‘s wedding due to her posterior.
Praising the Princess of Wales, he said, “Kate Middleton has a nice silhouette and she is the right girl for that boy. I like that kind of woman, I like romantic beauties.”
But, the Chanel visionary did not have good things to say about her sister, Pippa. He said, “On the other hand, her sister struggles. I don’t like the sister’s face. She should only show her back.” A source informed Closer magazine about the Middleton sister’s reaction to his comment. The source said, “Pippa’s devastated by Karl’s cruel comments – she’s always been confident about her looks. But she doesn’t want to retaliate and start a war of words. Her friends have tried to make her laugh about it as Karl is hardly a supermodel himself.”
6) Karl Lagerfeld Slammed Kim Kardashian After Paris Robbery Incident
In 2016, a group of thieves broke into Kim Kardashian’s quarters in a hotel in Paris and robbed her. The thieves stole $10 million worth of jewelry and Kim Kardashian’s $4 million worth of 20-carat engagement ring. They also stole two of her mobile phones. The robbery devastated the Kardashian.
During Paris Fashion Week, Karl Lagerfeld reacted to the incident by blaming the Skims founder. He said, “I don’t understand why she was in a hotel with no security and things like this. If you are that famous and you put all your jewelry on the net, you go to hotels where nobody can come near to the room. You cannot display your wealth and then be surprised that some people want to share it with you.”
5) He Criticized Angela Merkel For Opening The German Borders For Refugees
In 2015, the former German chancellor, Angela Merkel, implemented an open border policy for refugees from Syria, Afghanistan, and Iraq. It accommodated 1 million refugees at the time. In 2017, during an interview on the French channel, C8, Lagerfeld lashed out at Markel for accommodating “the worst enemies” of Jews in their place evoking the Holocaust debate.
Karl said, “One cannot – even if there are decades between them – kill millions of Jews so you can bring millions of their worst enemies in their place. I know someone in Germany who took a young Syrian and after four days said: ‘The greatest thing Germany invented was the Holocaust.'”
In Case You Missed: “It’s So Low To Support Russophobia”- Russian Elites Slam Chanel For Not Allowing Russians Into Abroad Stores
4) Karl Lagerfeld Fat-Shamed Adele
The former Chloé designer did not fail to leave his mark in the pop world stirring controversy with his comments on Adele’s body. During an interview with Metro, he weighed on female pop stars in 2012. Karl admired Lana Del Rey, saying, “She looks very much like a modern-time singer. In her photos she is beautiful. Is she a construct with all her implants?” But, he did not have nice things to say about Adele. He said, “She is a little too fat, but she has a beautiful face and a divine voice.”
The designer said that his comments were taken out of context. The Fendi creative explained, “She is my favorite singer and I am a great admirer of her.” But, when Adele lost weight, he said that his comments might have helped him. While explaining himself, he said, “I never said that she was fat. I said that she was a little roundish; a little roundish is not fat. But for such a beautiful girl, after that, she lost eight kilos [17.6 pounds] so I think the message was not that bad.”
3) He Was Against Casting Realistic And Plus-Sized Models
Germany’s top-selling women’s fortnightly, Brigitte, in 2009, decided to cast “real women.” The decision came after the fashion world was criticized for only casting thin models. Karl Lagerfeld, however, found the decision “absurd.”
He said, “These are fat mummies sitting with their bags of crisps in front of the television, saying that thin models are ugly.” He also said that no one wants to see “curvy women” on the runway.
2) He Sent Flowers To Dominique Strauss-Kahn, An Accused Rapist
In 2011, the director of the International Monetary Fund, Dominique Strauss-Kahn, was accused of rape and sexual assault. A maid at a New York hotel, Nafissatou Diallo, pressed rape, sex abuse, and forcible touching charges against him. Though the two settled the matter, one of the ridiculous instances during the whole fiasco was Karl Lagerfeld’s comment.
The designer sided with his friend and sent flowers to his friend. He claimed that women willingly want to have sex with Dominique. Karl told Style.com that women “get horny from politics, from power. And he had unbelievable charms. He is really charming. He’s fun, he’s great. He’s a sweet guy — as long as you’re not a woman. That’s the problem.”
1) Karl Lagerfeld’s Comments On The #MeToo Movement
Women around the world, in 2017, raised their voices against men who sexually assaulted them via the #MeToo movement. In 2018, during an interview with Numéro magazine, Karl said that was “fed up” with it.
In the interview, he said, “I’m fed up with it…What shocks me most in all of this are the starlets who have taken 20 years to remember what happened. Not to mention the fact there are no prosecution witnesses.”
You Might Also Like To Read: Jared Leto Net Worth, Hollywood Career, Awards, Philanthropy, And More
