Behind the seams

Daniel Brühl plays the legendary 'Emperor of Fashion' in a 1970s-set drama

- CAREN CLARK JUDY EWENS

Disney Becoming Karl Lagerfeld

Available: Friday 7 June Genre: Drama Season 1 Eps: 6

His signature suits, dark sunglasses and white ponytail made German designer Karl Lagerfeld instantly recognisable. But how did the so-called ‘Emperor of Fashion’ become such a cultural icon?

An intoxicating new French drama delves into the life and legacy of the legendary couturier, who helmed Chanel, Fendi and his own brand before his death in 2019, aged 85.

Adapted from the book Kaiser Karl by Raphaëlle Bacqué, the six-part series begins in the spring of 1972, when Karl (Daniel Brühl) is working in Paris as a relatively unknown ready-to-wear designer.

His ambitions soon soar when he meets and falls for troubled dandy Jacques de Bascher (Théodore Pellerin), who inspires him to compete against his old friend and the king of haute couture, Yves Saint Laurent (Arnaud Valois).