When Hun Kim first met Karl Lagerfeld roughly a decade ago, he was astonished by the German designer’s ramrod posture, which he attributed partly to the 7-centimeter height of his shirt collar.
“It really changes your attitude,” remarked Kim, design director of the Karl Lagerfeld brand. “Every time I met him, he was perfect.”
As design director of the house that Lagerfeld built, Kim continues to draw inspiration from the late designer’s graphic style of dressing, immortalized on a “wall of Karl” photos in his Amsterdam studio.
For example, he plucked a shimmering tweed texture worn by Lagerfeld for a handsome pantsuit with satin lapels, and a mannish topcoat with a double-layer appearance for the fall 2025 collection, which skews dressy. You could imagine both worn today by American writer, humorist and “Pretend It’s a City” star Fran Lebowitz, a kindred spirit and buddy of Lagerfeld’s since the ’80s.
Hun played with white shirts — this time with a normal-sized collar but an outsized bow — as well as elements from tuxedos, including cummerbunds, which extended into a big bow on a slim skirt, and peak lapels, the main feature of a sleeveless jumpsuit with a corset waist.
Tailoring tinged with a rock ‘n’ roll edge was how Lagerfeld rolled: hence the oversize or off-the-shoulder biker jackets, the broad-shouldered jackets whittled down to a small waist via seaming, and the drama of eco shearling puffers, sleeveless tops and a handbag designed like a pillow cushion, and resembling a mop-haired dog when tucked under the arm.
Kim seems to be applying more of his own signatures to the brand, but based on a deep understanding of Lagerfeld’s design ideas and values: How a big button can be as beautiful as a brooch; how a KL monogram finishes off a handbag just so, and how his slogans, know as Karl-isms, look cool on the brand’s workwear-leaning jeans line.
“I’m living my memoir, I don’t need to write it,” read one.
