Karl Lagerfeld’s signature white shirt to be interpreted by Diane Kruger, Tommy Hilfiger, Kate Moss and Cara Delevingne

By

Godfrey Deeny

Published
Jul 11, 2019

If Karl Lagerfeld had a fetish garment it had to have been his signature white shirt; worn most generally with a black silk tie. Those well-starched chemises will be the inspiration for the latest homage to the late great designer this fall with A Tribute to Karl: The White Shirt Project, when a score of creatives will celebrate Lagerfeld by interpreting his iconic shirt.

The project will be curated by Lagerfeld’s long-time preferred stylist, Carine Roitfeld, who has invited a slew of fashion VIPs to create their own versions of his white shirt, including Diane Kruger, Tommy Hilfiger, Kate Moss, Cara Delevingne, Amber Valletta, Lewis Hamilton, Alessandro Michele, Sébastien Jondeau, Takashi Murakami, and more.
 
“When I think of Karl’s most iconic designs from his career, I always I think of his white shirts. This tribute will allow us to honor his legacy while incorporating his unwavering love of fashion and giving back; I can’t imagine a better way for us to celebrate his passion for creativity,” said Roitfeld.

Seven of the final designs will be replicated 77 times each and sold for charity at a price of €777 per piece. The number seven was Karl’s lucky number: from his favorite arrondissement in Paris, the 7th; to the name of his bookshop and publishing house, 7L - for 7 rue de Lille.  Lagerfeld had his shirts personally made by Hilditch & Key, ordering unique multi-button, Prussian officer high collar, multi-button versions from the UK shirt-maker’s boutique on rue de Rivoli.
 
“My love and respect for Karl has much more than a white shirt so I had to celebrate our relationship with a red, white and blue stars version. Obviously, I’m honored to have been asked to do this as I will always remember the day he gave me a beautiful black shiny gift box and it was one of his favorites from his own closet: high-collar, button back, starch and all!” Tommy Hilfiger told FashionNetwork.com.
 
The development comes at a busy time for the house of Karl Lagerfeld, which has unleashed a series of capsule collections; by Roitfeld; his long-time pal, PA and bodyguard Jondeau and by fashion "It-gal" Olivia Palermo, which launched in Berlin last month.
 
All proceeds of the shirt sales will be donated to the French charity “Sauver la Vie,” which funds medical research at the Paris Descartes University and which Karl quietly supported for many years.  All of the final shirts will be displayed at an exhibition at the Maison Karl Lagerfeld during Paris Fashion Week in September 2019.
 
“After Karl’s passing, so many people wanted to share their admiration for Karl and express their emotions. The participants in this tribute are all people who Karl knew, who he felt connected to, or who inspired him. Sending a personal message through the creation of an individual bespoke version of Karl’s iconic shirt makes it, for each participant, a very unique and intimate way of relating back to Karl,” said Pier Paolo Righi, CEO of Karl Lagerfeld.