The ruler of a fully symbolized empire
No other designer has transformed their own body into such a thorough "icon" as Karl Lagerfeld. A pure white ponytail, jet-black sunglasses, a flawless, high-collared shirt, and leather fingerless gloves. During his lifetime, he called himself "a caricature of himself," and remained the emperor of fashion as an "eternal monolith" stripped of all humanity
However, in that perfectly cold, monochrome world, an absolute exception suddenly appeared—and that was his beloved cat, Choupette
Choupette – Perfect virtue unleashed in the "sterile room" of fashion
For Karl, Choupette was more than just a pet. With her beautiful pure white fur and sapphire blue eyes, this cat was a "living sculpture (avatar)" that embodied Karl's refined, sterile way of thinking
- Externalizing emotions and projecting aesthetics: Karl, who disliked unnecessary nostalgia and indulgence, maintained an ironclad discipline at the forefront of fashion. He poured all the soft emotions and affections he couldn't express himself into one cat named Choupette. Dedicated silver tableware, travel by private jet. This excessive doting was Karl's own sadistic and exquisite "fashionization of life."
- The completion of "white" against monochrome: When the perfectly groomed Choupette sits beside Karl, who has solidified himself with a geometric silhouette of black and white, a "perfect form of cold beauty" emerges, devoid of any sense of everyday life. Choupette was the most luxurious accessory to adorn the end of Karl's empire, and at the same time, the embodiment of his aesthetics.
A massive inheritance and an independent IP—the "celebrity cat" bug continues to rake in profits
When Karl died, what surprised the world the mostthe enormous inheritance, and Choupette's own astonishing earnings, which have not diminished even after Karl's death.
- An inheritance and a maid continue the perfect life: Karl's former housekeeper (Françoise) takes over as his personal caretaker, and even after Karl's death, she continues to live a luxurious VIP life at the mansion in the suburbs of Paris. Karl's love continues to live on, maintaining her "perfect living environment" even after his death.
- Model, photobook, phone case—an avatar that earns hundreds of millions of yen on its own: She's not just a spoiled cat. Even before her death, she generated hundreds of millions of yen in income as a model and IP, from German car commercials and collaborations with Japanese cosmetics brands (Shu Uemura) to her own photobooks and even merchandise such as phone cases. Unleashed into the world by the genius producer Karl, she reigns supreme in the fashion world on her own two feet as "the world's best influencer cat that continues to earn money independently."
The symbolization of the self and the dance of the figure of legacy
Even after Karl's departure, Choupette continued to be spoken of worldwide as the "rightful successor" to his aesthetic. Just as Karl himself had made himself an icon (figurine), he transformed Choupette into the world's most famous "symbolic cat."
Karl Lagerfeld left behind a vast archive at Chanel and Fendi, but what most symbolized him in his later years was the "symbol" itself—illustrations and photographs of him holding Choupette. The human Karl Lagerfeld disappeared, but the symbol (icon) of the man in black sunglasses and the white cat was etched into the history of fashion as an eternal automaton
Two white specimens placed on a dissection table in a sterile room
The relationship between Karl Lagerfeld and Choupette represents the pinnacle of "pure aesthetic beauty" and "hyper-capitalism" in fashion. He was an emperor who stripped away all traces of human emotion, presenting himself and his beloved cat to the world as thoroughly beautiful and cold "specimens = icons of the capital market."
Surrounded by a vast inheritance and personal maids, Choupette still poses with a composed expression in phone cases and photo books. Her sapphire-blue eyes continue to shine as the "ultimate figure" left behind by Karl Lagerfeld in this modern age where AI and symbols are encroaching on reality
I actually own a Choupette photobook (mystery!), and I used to use that phone case. Isn't it cute?