Down Memory Lane With Karl Lagerfeld

Fendi celebrated its 90th anniversary last November at the iconic trevi fountain in Rome. Exclusively for hello! Columnist and social observer Malavika Sangghvi revisits an evocative têtea-tête with the creative maven on his unprecedented 50-year association with the brand, his obsession with being multifaceted, love of roman fountains and...Water!

We were first introduced a decade ago, in 2007, on the site of his historic FENDI show, when 88 models had walked down the legendary Great Wall of China in his creations, in a headline grabbing extravaganza. It was said to be the world’s most expensive fashion show of all time. Since then I have followed his artistry, most notably at the exhibition, Un Art Autre – Another Kind of Art, at The University Art Museum of Tokyo, highlighting the intrinsic hand-crafted and artistic value of each FENDI Fur. I have also had the opportunity to drop in at his atelier at the earlier Fendi headquarters housed in the Palazzo in Rome, where his studio was smaller than one would have imagined. I witnessed a prodigious talent, in a riot of colourful swatches, works in progress and unmistakable sketches pinned to the walls.

FACE TO FACE WITH A FASHION LEGEND

And so finally, when I met Karl Lagerfeld in the summer of 2013 – designer, photographer, voracious reader, music aficionado, publisher of critically acclaimed coffee table books and owner of some of the planet’s most beautifully decorated homes – this time in Paris, on the banks of the Seine during Haute Couture week, it felt like I already knew him.

We were seated on the site of his latest creative enterprise: a cluster of black geodesic-style tented domes along the embankment housing The Glory of Water, an exhibition of his photography of the fountains of Rome featuring 50 daguerreotypes and another 50 platinotypes, presented with sensory allusions like the sound of rushing water and a host of heavenly fragrances.