Karl Lagerfeld talks multiple personalities, being commercial, and of course, little Choupette

It’s been a while since we’ve heard some Karl Lagerfeld gems, so this post is well overdue. We have The Independent to thank for interviewing the Kaiser when he came to launch his pop-up shop in Selfridges, and as usual he came out with some true corkers. Here are just a few snippets

Karl on his “multiple personalities”:

“The Karl and Karl Lagerfeld collections are a reflection of me as a person and Chanel and Fendi are more like an interpretation of a style. It’s never mixed. Fendi never looks like Chanel, Chanel never looks like Karl Lagerfeld. I don’t know how I’ve managed it. I think I have no personality but in fact I have three. You see a silhouette. There’s nothing else to see. I remember a photographer saying to me, ‘I have to spend three days with you to know what’s behind the image’. I said, ‘You’re wasting your time; there’s nothing there.’”

Karl on how he finds time to do everything:

“I’m militating for a 48-hour day but that’s a problem, especially in France, with the 35-hour week. I have 35 hours of rest. But I’m not tired, so that’s okay with me. I have the job I want and the right circumstances in which to do it. Nobody has that like I do.”

Karl on being a pro at his job:

“I’m very much against the idea that ‘commercial’ is a boring word because you cannot make a collection that nobody wears. Fashion is what people wear and what they buy. I know exactly what can be done and for what price. I know what costs what and why something is expensive or affordable. That is part of my job. I think it’s very pretentious to think that you are only catering to a limited group. I am lucky, though, as I have the total range.”

Karl on his kitty-cat Choupette:

“Now, Choupette really is famous. She has become the most famous cat in the world. I even get propositioned by pet food companies and things like that but it’s out of the question. I’m commercial. She’s not. She’s spoiled to death. Obviously.”

Obviously.