Off-the-Rack Lagerfeld, at H&M
By THE NEW YORK TIMES
Published: June 22, 2004
e wears high white collars and still prefers to correspond with paper and pen, but everyone in fashion knows that Karl Lagerfeld is a champion multitasker. There are the collections he designs for Chanel, Fendi and his own label, Lagerfeld Gallery; the books he publishes under his own imprint; and the photographs he makes for magazines like French Vogue and V. Now Mr. Lagerfeld has given himself a new task: designing a small line of clothing and accessories for H&M, the Stockholm-based mass retailer.
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This latest high-low collaboration was announced yesterday, as Mr. Lagerfeld was working on his fall Chanel haute couture collection in Paris and preparing to photograph the actress Vanessa Paradis for Marie Claire. H&M, which has 991 outlets in 19 countries, said Mr. Lagerfeld has designed 30 styles, for sale in November, under the label Karl Lagerfeld for H&M.
"I was always quite fascinated by H&M," Mr. Lagerfeld said by telephone. "Because people who buy Chanel and other expensive things buy there, too. For me, this is fashion today." He was flattered, he said, that H&M approached him after concluding that his name and face could attract millions of shoppers. "My look isn't too classical, and it isn't trendy," said Mr. Lagerfeld, 65, who will appear in advertisements for the line. "My look is the look of nobody."
Chanel doesn't have a conflict. "We're 101 percent fine with the idea," said Arie L. Kopelman, president of Chanel Inc., where a simple white blouse with collar embroidery can cost $1,500. "It's a decision that only Karl can make."
Mr. Lagerfeld said the H&M line will, in any case, more closely resemble the graphic style of Lagerfeld Gallery. "I'm not going to do what I do for Chanel," he said. "That's copied enough."
He sounded as if he had all the time in the world. "It's quite a pleasant feeling," he said, pursuing the idea of multitasking. "And I must say maybe it's because I never look back. Tomorrow we don't know about, and yesterday is over." CATHY HORYN
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