Iconic designer Karl Lagerfeld has passed away, aged 85. Lagerfeld is widely regarded as one of the most important and prolific designers of his generation and had held creative director roles at Fendi (since 1965), his namesake label (since 1974) and Chanel (since 1983) simultaneously.

Lagerfeld was born in Hamburg in 1933 and began his career as Pierre Balmain’s assistant in 1955. After this, Lagerfeld also worked with designer Jean Patou, and was freelancing at Chloé by the mid-1960s. He was arguably best known for his time at Chanel, during which he oversaw the house’s transition to being one of the world’s biggest luxury houses. Rest in peace, Karl.