German haute couture icon Karl Lagerfeld, who was associated with luxury fashion brands Chanel and Fendi, was cremated at a ceremony in France, reports People.
He was battling pancreatic cancer.
Lagerfeld, also known as the ‘Kaiser’ of the fashion industry, had long insisted that he would “rather die” than be buried.
“I just want to disappear like the animals in the virgin forest. It is awful to encumber people with your remains,” he told a French TV channel in 2015.
Mourners included Lagerfeld’s longtime friends Vogue’s editor-in-chief Anna Wintour and Princess Caroline of Monaco.
Amanda Harlech, a creative consultant known as being Lagerfeld’s right-hand woman and close friend, was seen wearing a black netted veil and black wool coat.
One of Lagerfeld’s favourite models, Brad Kroenig, also paid his respects with his family. Lagerfeld was extremely close to Kroenig, and was Godfather to his oldest son, Hudson, who regularly joined him at the end of Chanel shows.
Monaco’s Princess Caroline attended the funeral with her daughter Charlotte Casiraghi, who regularly attends Chanel shows.
He began his career with the fashion house in 1983, a decade after Coco Chanel died. He was known for distinctive look in his later years, regularly wearing dark suits, a ponytail and sunglasses.
