Karl Lagerfeld launches digital-oriented denim line aimed at Gen Z
Nicola Mira
Spring/Summer 2023 will mark the debut of the Karl Lagerfeld
The line’s aesthetic has a street-style feel, with distinctive details like K-shaped stitching, a variety of trouser cuts, and the intense blue colour (pantone 2736 C) characterising the logo on packaging, buttons, toggles and rivets. The line also includes handbags and sneakers.
“As the world of Karl Lagerfeld continues to expand, we’re excited to grow our portfolio with the launch of Karl Lagerfeld Jeans,” said Pier Paolo Righi
The Karl Lagerfeld Jeans collection has been created by a new, dedicated design and product development team – overseen by Karl Lagerfeld’s creative director Hun Kim – based in a studio inside the label’s headquarters on the Herengracht canal, in Amsterdam’s chicest district.
“Karl was a master of mixing cool, rock-chic denim with more dressed-up pieces,” said Kim. “He also demonstrated that denim knows no age or gender boundaries: no matter who they are, anyone can wear jeans!” he added. According to Kim, Karl Lagerfeld Jeans is a “progressive brand” that “celebrates diversity via new silhouettes, new treatments and unexpected new details. The look is creative, authentic and unfussy, ideal for trend-setters and rule-breakers keen to stand out in the crowd.”
The line’s Spring/Summer 2023 collection features jeans with skinny, straight and relaxed fits, alongside versatile denim jackets and other easy-to-match items. The logo is set within a square, the hallmark of Karl Lagerfeld Jeans, with the line’s intense blue pantone in the background, and seasonal variations in contrasting colours or in orange and lime. Printed fabrics come with vivid pictorial patterns, inspired by abstract expressionism and camo motifs. There is a deliberate balance between masculine and feminine shapes, embodied in fluid lines ideal for mixing and matching. Some of the silhouettes are figure-hugging, others softer and more generous.
The Karl Lagerfeld label’s portfolio includes ready-to-wear for women, men and children, handbags and small leather goods, footwear, fragrances, eyewear, a hotel in Macau, a luxury residential village in Marbella and a recently launched jewellery line. On the creative side, Kim collaborates with Sébastien JondeauAmber Valletta
Karl Lagerfeld is commercialised via some 120 directly owned and franchised monobrand stores, as well as select multibrand retailers. In May 2022, US fashion group G-III Apparel
Nicknamed the Kaiser, designer Karl Lagerfeld died in 2019 at the age of 85. He was instrumental in the renaissance of ChanelFendiChloé, while founding his own label. Lagerfeld’s reputation is such that Anna Wintour of VogueCostume InstituteLine
In 2021, sales for Karl Lagerfeld grew by 40% over 2020 (and by 35% over pre-pandemic levels), and the label is aiming for annual growth of 20-25%, as Righi himself told FashionNetwork.com