In 2012 Karl Lagerfeld made it very clear he wasn’t the retiring type. Speaking to Vogue TV he said, “Why should I stop working. If I do, I’ll die and it’ll all be finished.” But his previous protests haven’t stopped the latest rumours that he’s preparing to step down from Chanel. The whisper, that appears to have emerged at Page Six, points to an unnamed “Paris friend” of the designer who claims, “He’s not doing well and he’s ready to stop”. Despite being at Chanel since 1983 and Fendi since 1965 Karl has never shown signs of fatigue. Now in his 80s (the jury is out on his exact age), Chanel’s creative director balances designing—and often shooting—the houses collections, heading up Fendi, designing for his own self-titled range, working as a lauded photographer and writing the odd diet book.
Since the murmur began the internet has scrambled to find proof where they can. Some have even suggested that Kendall Jenner’s recent Instagram post of the legend from behind was a veiled suggestion he was walking away from his role. Maybe it’s just us, but pretty sure that one is just a photo of the man’s back.
Others have pointed to next month’s Chanel 2017 resort show in Cuba as his swan song—it’ll be the first major fashion event in the country since diplomatic relations were restored with the US. The designer has reflected that he’s been inspired by the “cultural richness and opening up of Cuba”, so it would be a pretty cool high to go out on.
Despite the waves of recent high-profile departures (Calvin Klein’s Francisco Costa and Italo Zucchelli, Heidi Slimane, Raf Simons) it still feels unlikely Karl would ever leave his position at Chanel. After all Coco never retired, working until she passed away in 1971. Only last year he reminded any doubters, “You know my contracts with Fendi and Chanel are for life?” Considering he went on to add, “I hate slow people. Horrible,” we can’t imagine him settling into a golden retirement.
Credits
Text Wendy Syfret
Image via @whereskarl