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By Matthew Dalton

PARIS--Karl Lagerfeld, the German designer who dominated high fashion for decades and reinvigorated the iconic French couture house Chanel, has died. He was somewhere in his eighties, though he refused to confirm his age.

His death leaves a void atop Chanel, one of the luxury industry biggest brands, and Fendi, the Italian fashion house owned by LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton SE (MC.FR) where he has been a creative director since 1965. With his ubiquitous dark sunglasses and white hair pulled into a ponytail, Mr. Lagerfeld was perhaps the most recognizable figure in fashion.

"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," said Bernard Arnault, the French billionaire who leads LVMH. "Fashion and culture has lost a great inspiration."

Born Karl Otto Lagerfeld in Hamburg, he was the son of a businessman and a lingerie saleswoman. Mr. Lagerfeld once claimed he was born in 1935, but amateur historians discovered a birth announcement for him on Sept. 10, 1933.

As a child Mr. Lagerfeld had little interest for playing with other children, preferring instead to sketch.

"My childhood was very simple. I only wanted one thing: to get out of there," he said in 2017.

He came to Paris as a teenager and won a design competition that launched his career in fashion.

Write to Matthew Dalton at matthew.dalton@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

February 19, 2019 08:03 ET (13:03 GMT)

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