Rare sketches made by the late fashion designer and the legendary Chanel creative director Karl Lagerfeld are set to go under the hammer this month.
The images – which date from the 1960s when Lagerfeld worked for the fashion house Tiziani in Rome – will be available for purchase on April 18 via a live auction, as reported by Vogue UK. The event is being held by Urban Culture Auctions in association with Palm Beach Modern Auction, in Florida.
The 125 lots include annotated drawings from Lagerfeld’s time with the company, which was launched in 1963 in Rome by the American creative Evans Richards. Lagerfeld, who was employed as Richards’ fellow couturier, stayed with the label until 1969.
Lagerfeld, who went on to head up the houses of Chanel and Fendi, carving out a career as a fashion titan, was known for throwing away his drawings, making this series something of a rarity.
“These sketches are the work of one of the most brilliant couturiers of the last half-century,” Urban Culture Auctions co-owner told Vogue UK. “They are very rare and might not have survived had they remained in Lagerfeld’s possession.”
Lagerfeld died on February 19, aged 85. He was succeeded at Chanel by the designer Virginie Viard, who worked with him for the last 30 years of his career.
The sketches can be previewed at https://bid.modernauctions.com.
