Joopiter Is Selling a Collection of Karl Lagerfeld Collectibles

Karl Lagerfeld was so generous, especially with his longtime personal assistant and bodyguard Sébastien Jondeau, that when on shopping excursions at Colette, which were frequent, Jondeau sometimes had to hold his tongue about things that caught his eye in the famous Paris concept store — lest his boss add even more gifts to his bulging basket.

“The worst was the gadgets. One time we went to Colette and he bought like 30 iPads. They were not in other stores yet and he gave them to everyone at Chanel,” Jondeau related.

“With me, and certain close people around him, he was very generous,” said Jondeau, who was like a son to the legendary couturier. “He would ask, ‘Do you love this? Do you want that?’ And I would say, ‘No, no, no, it’s OK. I already have many things.’ And he would shoot back, ‘Oh, don’t be so difficult.’”

Now Jondeau has decided to part ways with a stash of fashions, accessories, artworks, furniture and rare collectibles via Pharrell Williams‘ online auction house Joopiter.

Titled “The Collection of Sébastien Jondeau: My Life With Karl Lagerfeld,” the sale opens for global bidding Wednesday and concludes on March 3.

Among star lots are a 1985 “Chanel, from Ads” painting by Andy Warhol estimated to fetch $150,000 to $250,000 and a custom-made Louis Vuitton breakfast suitcase engineered to house an electric toaster, table linens, cutlery and a crystal thermos. The latter, dating from 2002 or 2003, could fetch between $100,000 to $200,000, according to Joopiter.

Fashion fanatics also will surely bid up a storm for a “graffiti” backpack from Chanel’s spring 2014 collection. Already a favorite with collectors, this particular carryall was one of Jondeau’s primary travel companions, housing his passport and Lagerfeld’s, plus other “crazy” items Jondeau is too discreet to reveal.

“Security things,” he teased.

Two Helmut Newton nudes from his acclaimed 1981 Monte Carlo series are also on the block. Lagerfeld gifted three to Jondeau, but he’s keeping one from the triptych because — as with many lots — there is a heartwarming backstory.

Jondeau once related to Lagerfeld that he was a long admirer of the German-Australian photographer, and hung a Newton “Wonder Woman” poster in his room when he was a teenager. Not long after, Lagerfeld offered him the three originals.

The sale includes several exceptional, fancy blousons by Hedi Slimane — Lagerfeld’s go-to menswear designer in his twilight years — and some still have the tags on them.

Goyard trunks, gold Chrome Hearts jewelry and a rare Rolex Daytona reworked by Bamford with a Paul Newman dial are also among items that no longer suit Jondeau’s new lifestyle in the South of France, where he is raising his young daughter.

Beyond that, he’s keen for others to enjoy these exceptional items, conversation-starters all.

For example, the Vuitton breakfast briefcase was initially a bespoke gift for Lagerfeld from luxury titan Bernard Arnault, chairman and chief executive officer of LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton, who loved to sit next to the German designer at Dior Homme shows.

Jondeau said Lagerfeld would always travel with loaves of Harrys, a French brand of American-style sandwich bread that the designer loved to toast and, when he was in the U.S., smear with I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter margarine, which the Mercer Hotel would stock in his fridge.

Incidentally, the Mercer is where Lagerfeld first struck up a friendship with Williams, later enlisting the music star for ad campaigns, a sneaker collaboration and ultimately capsule collection for Chanel, one of many luxury brands Lagerfeld touched.

Among the most unusual lots is a Louis Vuitton punching bag, which comes with its own stand and packing trunk, that Lagerfeld created for in 2014 when the brand invited “Icons and Iconoclasts” to help Vuitton celebrate its 160th anniversary.

The designer conscripted Jondeau, a fitness fanatic whose circle of friends included champion boxer Brice Faradji, to consult on the technical requirements for the bag, sold in an edition of 25. (Jondeau’s is No. 2 in the series.)

“I would have loved to keep it for myself, but I don’t have the room,” he remarked.  

Lagerfeld also frequently leaned on Jondeau to test sport-related items he would create for Chanel, including a black carbon-fiber surfboard that Joopiter expects to fetch $10,000 to $15,000. It’s signed by the designer and was used extensively by Jondeau in St. Barths.

Not everything in the sale was a gift. In 2016, Jondeau purchased his one-of-a-kind Colette x Vespa scooter, and it’s expected to go for between $10,000 and $15,000.

Caitlin Donovan, global head of sales at Joopiter, characterized the auction as a “living record of friendship, loyalty and the cultural force that Lagerfeld embodied.”

In her view, the provenance of such objects is crucial, and she described Lagerfeld and Jondeau as “cultural editors,” not simply passive collectors.

“Collectors today are drawn to objects with story and authorship. When intrinsic quality meets cultural significance, demand follows — and the market reflects that,” she told WWD. “Many of the lots in this sale are origin objects, the singular piece that sat at the center of trends and artistic movements that went on to influence fashion, art, and design at the highest level. That proximity to Karl’s creative universe gives them a narrative depth that simply cannot be replicated.”

Already seven years have passed since the formidable German designer passed away at age 85, but his legacy continues to live large, according to Donovan.

“Karl wasn’t simply a designer of his time, he defined an era of fashion,” she said. “He embodied a rare combination of intellect, wit, rigor, and rock-star magnetism — an energy and aesthetic that transcends both age and time. His image, his work, and his creative philosophy remain not only culturally relevant, but enduring touchstones for generations to come.”