Karl Lagerfeld Teams Up With artnet on Three Exclusive Handbags

Fashion lovers, you're going to want to sit down for this.

artnet CEO Jacob Pabst with Karl Lagerfeld. Photo: © Lisa Roze.

The inimitable Karl Lagerfeld, fashion designer, photographer, and the owner of both an iconic ponytail and a beloved cat named Choupette, has joined forces with artnet on an auction in celebration of the launch of his new website KARL.COM.

Karl designed three unique handbags that will be available for bidding on artnet Auctions from November 5–10, along with the original sketches.  The unique bags have been expertly crafted by hand, while the rare sketches are coveted as pieces of art in themselves and are typically not available for sale. The one of-a-kind items will be revealed November 3, and we suggest that you mark your calendars for this one, because it’s not every day a veritable fashion icon releases one-of-a-kind designs.

“Lagerfeld has been a legendary figure of the fashion world for decades, but his talent extends well beyond his numerous collections. His fashion shows and his stores become art installations, while his drawings and his photography show us the extraordinary breadth of his talent as an artist,” says artnet CEO Jacob Pabst, who sat down with the designer for an exclusive one-on-one video interview that will be published in conjunction with the auction.

“I wanted something different from the bags we have in the shop,” Karl said. “They are unique pieces, and will not be reproduced after.”

KARL.COM, the online portal for Karl Lagerfeld’s namesake brand which will launch on November 3,  ships women’s bags, accessories, ready-to-wear and fragrances to 97 countries and will unveil new items on the site every two weeks.

Karl was recently the subject of a retrospective at the Bundeskunsthalle in Bonn, Germany. A comprehensive look back at his six-decade career in fashion, the exhibition surveyed his designs for Chanel, Fendi, Chloé, and the Karl Lagerfeld brand.

On October 16, “Karl Lagerfeld: A Visual Journey” opens at Pinacothèque de Paris, featuring an exploration of the designer’s own photography, from his interest in abstraction to intimate fashion portraits. In a statement on the show’s website, Lagerfeld says, “Today photography is part of my life. It completes the circle between my artistic and professional restlessness.”


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