Karl Lagerfeld

Born in Hamburg in 1933, Karl Lagerfeld won the IWS coat prize in 1954 (against the young Yves Saint Laurent) and joined Pierre Balmain, then Jean Patou. In 1965 Fendi hired him as creative consultant — a relationship that lasted 54 years and gave the Roman fur house its double-F monogram and the Baguette legacy. In 1983 Chanel recruited him to revive Gabrielle Chanel's dormant maison; over 36 years he turned the brand into the largest couture house in the world while staging spectacle-scale shows at the Grand Palais. He also led his own line Karl Lagerfeld and designed for Chloé in two stints (1964-83, 1992-97). One of the most prolific designers in history, he died in Paris in February 2019 still in his Chanel and Fendi posts, becoming a posthumous icon of the white-collar-and-ponytail silhouette.