Legendary fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld dies aged 85

The German designer was one of the most recognisable figures in fashion

Karl Lagerfeld has died in Paris at the age of 85 on Tuesday after a battle with pancreatic cancer. Sources close to the designer say that he was rushed to hospital in Paris on Monday evening, before passing away on Tuesday morning. The German designer was one of the most recognisable figures in fashion throughout his career, and was working up until the time of his death as creative director of Chanel, Fendi and his eponymous label. Born Karl Lagerfeldt in Hamburg, Germany in 1933, Lagerfeld later changed his name to be more commercial. He moved to Paris at the age of 19 and worked as an assistant to Pierre Balmain where his initial collections were met with a mix of shock and disappointment, before going onto work at Tiziani, Fendi and Chanel in the 1960s. Speculation regarding the state of his health began to circulate when he was absent from the Chanel haute couture show in January, but details of the illness had been kept private until now. Lagerfeld, who was known as "the Kaiser" because of his heritage, was famously unrelenting with regards to his fashion ethos, saying once: "Sweatpants are a sign of defeat. You lost control of your life so you bought some sweatpants.” His death has prompted tributes from giants in the world of fashion, including Donatella Versace and Marc Jacobs, who described Lagerfeld as "undeniably a unique and extraordinary talent". https://www.instagram.com/p/BuD_TRIg_JN/ https://www.instagram.com/p/BuEMPKpApZB/ https://www.instagram.com/p/BuEFLvWhLOw/ https://www.instagram.com/p/BuEFeKdg2iR/