Karl Lagerfeld to celebrate its eponymous founder at Pitti Uomo in June

After Fendi announced it is preparing retrospective shows to be held in Rome and Shanghai in the coming weeks, it was the turn of the Karl Lagerfeld label to announce a tribute in remembrance of its eponymous designer and founder, who died last February. Karl Lagerfeld will stage a series of events to celebrate the iconic couturier, beginning at the Pitti Uomo menswear show scheduled in Florence on June 11-14. The heritage of Karl Lagerfeld will be fêted through the label’s new Spring 2020 collection (menswear, womenswear, shoes, eyewear, jeans and beachwear) and a performance by British street artist Endless.

Endless will paint a portrait of Karl Lagerfeld as part of a 5m x 9m installation located at the heart of the Florentine show. The portrait will also feature on a limited edition of 50 t-shirts, which will go on sale at Pitti Uomo.

“Our presence at Pitti Uomo will be a special occasion to start a series of worldwide events celebrating Karl’s heritage and reflecting his pioneering, avant-garde and iconic contributions to fashion design,” said Pier Paolo Righi, CEO of the label, in a press release in which he underlined how “Pitti Uomo will also be an exciting platform for presenting our new collections and sharing the inspiring, immersive experience that is Karl's world.”

An operation which is both natural and imperative for the label founded by the German designer, since a host of events dedicated to Karl Lagerfeld will be held throughout the world of fashion in the next few months. Yet, the Pitti Uomo homage has something of a commercial flavour to it.

Karl Lagerfeld was launched in 1984 by the eponymous designer and photographer. The men’s and women's ready-to-wear label, now positioned in the affordable luxury segment, experienced a series of ups and downs, before it was bought by British investment fund Apax Partners in 2006.

Karl Lagerfeld to celebrate its eponymous founder at Pitti Uomo in June

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