Karl was an iconic designer who was the creative director of Chanel. Karl was inspired to go into fashion when he accompanied his mother to a Dior fashion show in 1933, and would draw fashion designs as a young child. He was offered the job at Chanel in 1985 – but had huge reservations.
Karl has presided over the iconic fashion house, established by Coco Chanel, for more than three decades, producing as much as eight collections a year to the joy of fashion editors, fans and collectors. He once explained; “At that time, I already had a good reputation, I was doing Fendi and Chloe. I had been warned, ‘Do not take Chanel, it’s awful. When I arrived, Coco had been dead for 10 years and everyone lived in the respect of her memory. If you want to kill a house, show her respect.”
He had already talked of his death and who will be his heir; ”There will be no burial. I’d rather die. I’ve asked to be cremated and for my ashes to dispersed with those of my mother and those of Choupette, if she dies before me.” An year ago, he said his cat, Choupette, would be one of the heirs to his $200 million fortune.
Choupette had an entire fashion collection titled “Choupette in Love” created after her, and her eyes were even the inspiration for a Chanel haute couture collection.
A spokesman for Chanel was not immediately available for comment.