Lagerfeld Launchs Collection For H&M. Good Bye Chanel?

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November 12, 2004

Its the OO’s and you’re not a fashion designer unless you have your own collection, design a department store collection, a diffusion line, a French couture house, a jeans line carry out consultancy for a hotel chain, car company, design Coke bottles, mobile phone covers and have your own fragrance.

This week saw the launch of Karl Lagerfeld’s capsule collection for high street, fast fashion chain H&M. Which now means that Karl has ticked all of the boxes and can be considered a serious designer. (we at PSFK knew all along)

What does this mean for the future?

PSFK foresees issues with Chanels client base (Whom Largerfeld designs for) staying loyal to a house where the head designer’s work is represented at so many different levels on the high street. Admittedly other designers have not had this problem but other designers currently in collaborations of this sort are not at the same level as Lagerfeld, Ford, McQueen or Prada. Is this the start of a larger trend where the A list fashion houses look to release their long stored up brand value through the mass market?

For more about Lagerfeld read Vogue’s biog.