The Parisian event to honor Karl Lagerfeld's genius

When Karl Lagerfeld passed away last February, he left a great void in the fashion world. During his career he has been the creative director of two of the biggest fashion houses, Chanel and Fendi, he has worked for Chloè and has directed his namesake label, creating unforgettable collections. Now, these brands have decided to join forces to celebrate his genius with a special event entitled Karl For Ever.

“It will be a very powerful moment, a collective celebration of his persona. The memorial will be about Karl only: who he was, what he loved, what gave him his exceptional energy. I am glad we could join forces with Fendi and Karl Lagerfeld to create together an exceptional event that measures up to him, a tribute that truly celebrates the things he loved and that inspired him.”

Bruno Pavlovsky, president of Chanel Global Fashion, told WWD that the tribute will take place during Men's Fashion Week in Paris on June 20th at the main hall of the Grand Palais. In this place, chosen since 2005 as the location of the fashion shows of the French Maison, theatre and opera director Robert Carsen will stage a show that will see the participation of dancers, musicians, singers and actors who will play works loved by Lagerfeld. In addition, video montages projected on three large screens will present interviews with his collaborators, personalities of the fashion, art and culture world, immortalized in front of the famous Kaiser Karl's library which contains over 300,000 books.

Carsen explained the event in these words:

“I wanted something full of life and unexpected. (Lagerfeld) once famously said, “A funeral? I'd rather die.” He would have wanted it to be a joyful moment. It's a huge honour, but also quite a challenge: we know of the force behind Chanel, Fendi, the Karl Lagerfeld brand, Chloe and others, but it's also about the man himself - the artist, even if he didn't like to be called as such.”

Around 2,500 guests are expected to attend this Parisian homage. Other celebratory events in memory of the designer are planned over the next few months. For example, Fendi will organise a large fashion show in Rome for Lagerfeld on July 4 where "all the emblematic creations designed for Fendi, of which Karl was the soul" since 1965 will be shown.