Thanks to Karl Lagerfeld’s problematic views, the fashion industry was forced to face some ugly truths

Karl Lagerfeld was arguably the most powerful man in fashion. At the helm of Chanel, he was extremely influential, even the self-professed fashion illiterate would easily recognise the interlocked “CC” monograph of Coco Chanel, which he integrated into the House of Chanel. But he also attracted, courted and initiated controversy with his stances on fur, feminism and the far right.

Peta’s tweet, written by their founder Ingrid Newkirk, in response to Lagerfeld’s death has drawn the most backlash today:

Lagerfeld marked the 50th anniversary of his work with Fendi with an haute couture show, which drew criticism for encouraging the use of fur rather than fake alternatives. He had previously defended his actions by arguing that the industry employed many people and that he did not see the problem as people were eating meat and buying leather goods. A surprise U-turn last December momentarily redeemed Lagerfeld among the animal conscious, however, when Chanel announced that it would no longer use fur and exotic skins, including crocodile, lizard, snake and stingray.

But the issues, as we all remember, don’t stop there. Lagerfeld also has a history of criticising “curvy” and “plus-size” women, negating the problems with solely hiring exceedingly skinny models.

In 2008 he said that “curvy women should not walk the runway”. In 2013 he was roundly criticised by commenting that Adele was a “little too fat”, doubling down on his remarks in a later interview with CNN. In his book The World According to Karl he is quoted as saying: “It’s the fat women sitting in front of televisions with their pack of crisps who say slim models are hideous.” Lagerfeld was even sued by a French fashion agency: Belle, Ronde, Sexy et Je M’assume (Beautiful, Curvy, Sexy and Proud of It).

Lagerfeld himself pursued a 90-pound weight loss in order to fit into designs by former Dior Homme creative director, Hedi Slimane. It is unsurprising that as a stalwart of the fashion industry for decades his views on size remained stuck in the metaphorical past. Yet, he was in a position of great power to change the industry, should he have wished to do so. Instead, he played a part in constructing the world, hiring models who do not reflect the make-up of modern nations.

But there is, perhaps, evidence he began to change his mind. In 2018, Karl Lagerfeld Paris teamed up with Stitch Fix to offer classic designs in plus-sizes. Cynics would say that this was a purely business decision, aimed at the American market where the average woman is a size 16. He didn’t bring these changes to Chanel, after all.

The 2015 spring/summer Chanel show co-opted protest in a mockup of a Parisian street. With Whitney Houston’s version of “I’m Every Woman” blaring, models walked down the runway with bags that proclaimed “Feministe mais Feminine” (Feministe but Feminine) with the show ending with Lagerfeld heading a group of models (not diverse in any way) with placards mocking the potential political impact of fashion.

Lagerfeld’s most politically egregious comments, however, followed Germany’s decision to accept hundreds of thousands of refugees in 2015, when he threatened to give up his German citizenship. He accused Angela Merkel of encouraging the creation of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party through her actions, criticising her decision to welcome migrants as unnecessary.

We don’t know for sure whether Lagerfeld’s opinion really changed, or if he just took advantage of body positivity, feminism and sustainability becoming more fashionable in the past few years. Regardless, he sent major signals to the fashion world, using his influence for good.

His genius designs will live on, but so hopefully will the positive changes both he and Chanel were at the very beginning of instating in the fashion industry. I would like to see more diversity on the runway, under the leadership of new creative director Virginie Viard for a start. We can only wait and see.