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Designer And Chanel Creative Director Karl Lagerfeld Dead At 85

The designer prompted health concerns in January, when he missed Chanel’s Paris haute couture shows.

Chanel's creative director Karl Lagerfeld has died at the age of 85, according to French media reports.

The news was first reported by Paris Match with another French outlet, Pure People, later adding that the designer had been taken ill in Paris on Monday.

Karl Lagerfeld
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Karl Lagerfeld

The designer prompted health concerns in January, when he missed Chanel's Paris haute couture shows, with another of the brand's directors stepping in for him.

Prior to that, he made a public appearance in late November to switch on the Christmas lights on the Champs-Elysées.

Karl took over as Chanel's creative director in 1983.

Lagerfeld with Vogue US editor Anna Wintour in 2015
Jonathan Short/Invision/AP
Lagerfeld with Vogue US editor Anna Wintour in 2015

His illustrious fashion career began in the early 1950s, when he started working as an assistant to Pierre Balmain.

After stints at various fashion houses, he started working for Chloe in 1964, and collaborating with Fendi a year later.

While at the helm of Chanel, he's also designed costumes and stage outfits for megastars including Madonna and Kylie Minogue. In 2004, he lent his name and design skills to a collection for H&M.

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