Karl Lagerfeld, renowned designer, dead at age 85

By Faruk Zorlu

ANKARA (AA) - German fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld is dead at age 85 in Paris, fashion house Chanel announced on Tuesday.

"Lagerfeld was best known for his association with Chanel but delivered collections for LVMH's Fendi and his own eponymous label," said Chanel in a statement.

Known as one of the most important fashion designers of the 20th and 21st centuries, Lagerfeld was recognizable for his white ponytail and dark suits and sunglasses.

Bernard Arnault, the CEO of luxury conglomerate LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton, said: “With the passing of Karl Lagerfeld we have lost a creative genius who helped to make Paris the fashion capital of the world and Fendi one of the most innovative Italian houses."

Lagerfeld was born in 1933 in Hamburg, Germany. Later, Lagerfeld went to Paris in 1954, and the next year began his career as an assistant to Pierre Balmain.

He started working in Chanel in 1983.