Clothes From a Renaissance Man
Karl Lagerfeld -- photographer, collector, author, and designer -- demonstrates why his creations draw celebrities, and cash
"I'm not a businessman," Karl Lagerfeld says. "It bores me to death." Maybe so, but wherever Lagerfeld goes, profits seem to follow. The 66-year-old designer has revived the house of Chanel, making it one of the world's top labels, with devotees including Hollywood superstar Nicole Kidman. In his spare time, Lagerfeld also has designed for fashion houses Fendi and Chloe, while producing collections under his own labels, including KL and Lagerfeld gallery. He also produced a hit collection in 2004 for Swedish retailer Hennes & Mauritz (known as H&M). And he's a widely published photographer.
How does he do it all? Teutonic discipline is part of the secret, says the German-born Lagerfeld, who spurns alcohol and drugs and follows a strict diet (he also found time to write a book, The Karl Lagerfeld Diet, after shedding more than 70 pounds several years ago). But when it comes to his artistic endeavors, Lagerfeld says, "I do it by instinct. Most of my ideas come to me in my dreams."