The recent passing of iconic German designer Karl Lagerfeld made waves across the fashion world. The creative director of Chanel, Fendi, and his own namesake label leaves behind a legacy of over seven decades in the industry, a period by which he produced some of the most coveted designs in the luxury sphere.
Alongside legendary runway shows that spared no cost, Lagerfeld's time at Chanel and Fendi birthed two of the most iconic design motifs of our time, one being the former's interlocking "CC", and the latter, Fendi's "FF" – even more popular in SS19 collections than it was when he first introduced it in 1965.
Now, in our search for some of the most astonishing archival designs of his we could pin down online, here we share some of the luxury handbags and accessories currently available via resale platform StockX. Home to grails of past seasons' Gucci, Goyard, and more, a selection of timeless Lagerfeld pieces for Chanel and Fendi are also available, not forgetting an insane LV piece designed for the Paris fashion house's Iconoclasts collaborations.
Scroll on for more unbelievable finds from the Lagerfeld archives.
Fendi
Overseeing Fendi's womenswear division since 1965, Lagerfeld is responsible for that most flex-worthy of logo motifs, the "FF" monogram. Originally a mere doodle on his appointment to the role, the design first featured as a jacquard lining for the house's travel trunks, and you'll no doubt have seen it used more prominently than ever in men's and women's collections of recent seasons.
Most notably, an all-over logo print belt bag is currently being sold for $1,250 – a major vibe for your summer ’fits. Meanwhile, Fendi's Peekaboo Monster handbag in bright blue leather may not flex with a capital "FF", but it's a true collector's piece.
Chanel
Lagerfeld took the reigns of French fashion house Chanel in 1983. Initially responsible for haute couture, he is largely held responsible for quickly modernizing the label thanks to his immense understanding of branding, notably transforming Chanel’s interlocking “CC” logo into a cultural signifier for wealth and luxury. “Logos are the Esperanto of marketing, luxury, and business today,” he famously said.
Some of the vintage pieces now available via StockX feature that very "CC" logo in abundance, notably as gold hardware used on clasps and zippers (see the classic gold-chained bag and beautiful vintage belt bag below). For a more experimental ode to what Lagerfeld did best, the ’70s inspired "On the Pavements" hand-vandalized messenger is a whole different kind of flex.
Louis Vuitton
Alongside Rej Kawakubo, Frank Gehry, Cindy Sherman, and Mark Newson, Lagerfeld was called upon to contribute to Louis Vuitton's "The Icon and the Iconoclasts" project in 2014.
Lagerfeld used punching bags as inspiration for his input to the project, going as far as to create a full Louis Vuitton monogram-embellished boxing suite. The bag below uses a beautifully supple leather and double chain handles in aged golden brass, and gets extra vintage appeal from a special tanning process to the cowhide used.
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