Alfons Kaiser – författare

A Financial Times Book of the Year: the definitive story of fashion's most enigmatic icon. Karl Lagerfeld lived a very public life. He shaped the Chanel and Fendi brands for decades, and his wit and wisdom amused and informed the world. Yet despite a massively public persona, his hinterland remained unknown. What is the truth behind this larger-than-life but enigmatic figure? The journalist and fashion specialist Alfons Kaiser met Lagerfeld on numerous occasions. He has now written the first authoritative biography on this fascinating character, whose life has always been marked by elements of secrecy. From his parents’ links with the Nazi regime to Lagerfeld’s last days in the company of only his closest friends, this book – the result of unprecedented archival and field work – divulges all the facets of a passionate artist and workaholic: the precocious boy who preferred to draw in the attic rather than play with his peers; the son who quarrelled with his parents but never got away from them; the competitor of Yves Saint Laurent, whom he outshone in the end; the brother, uncle, friend; and finally, the partner of Jacques de Bascher, the great love of his life.

Karl Lagerfeld—a larger-than-life fashion icon who changed the industry and a living brand—comes to life in this all–new graphic novel biography that looks at the man behind the logo“It starts with me and it ends with me.”—Karl LagerfeldKarl Lagerfeld stylized himself into a living logo and a myth of the fashion world. As a brand, his name is synonymous with luxury, and as a designer, he worked for and influenced almost every major luxury brand since the beginning of his career, from his apprenticeship with Balmain to Fendi, whose logo he designed, to his renowned tenure at Chanel from 1982–2000.Now, FAZ editor Alfons Kaiser, who knew Lagerfeld personally, tells the story of the charismatic fashion designer in this new graphic novel biography. Using many previously unknown sources, Karl Lagerfeld explores every aspect of his colorful career. From a youthful outsider in the northern German plains to an urbane genius in Paris competing to make a name for himself against designers such as Yves Saint-Laurent, this personal look at Lagerfeld’s life paints a picture of a peerless designer, a tireless illustrator, an avid photographer, a passionate book collector, and a peerless workaholic.But most of all, Kaiser tells the story of the man behind the larger-than-life figure: the precocious boy who preferred drawing in the attic to playing with his peers; the son who argued with his parents but never got away from them; Saint-Laurent’s greatest rival; a brother, uncle, friend—and the partner of Jacques de Bascher, the great love of his life.

Mode lebt von Menschen. Daher kommt man für ein Buchprojekt zum Thema gar nicht umhin, aus der "Frankfurter Allgemeinen Zeitung", der "Frankfurter Allgemeinen Sonntagszeitung" und der Beilage "Z" Porträts von wichtigen Designern auszuwählen. Ingeborg Harms, Anke Schipp, Jennifer Wiebking, Dirk Schümer und Alfons Kaiser haben in den vergangenen Jahren viele der wichtigsten Modemacher der Welt getroffen. Mal war es eines der äußerst seltenen Interviews mit einem deutschen Journalisten (Miuccia Prada), mal war es ein groß gefeierter Abschied (Tom Ford), mal war es die Entdeckung eines Jungstars (Guillaume Henry). Meist sind es nur Momente, die aber helfen können, die Modegeschichte besser zu verstehen. Immer sollten es Designer sein, die mit ihrer Mode mehr sagen, als sich in Zahlen oder Trends ausdrücken lässt. Wenn man, umgekehrt gesagt, die Kollektionen der hier vorgestellten Designer sieht, sollte der zwingende Gedanke sein: Dahinter steckt immer ein kreativer Kopf. Wir stellen eine Auswahl der wichtigsten Köpfe vor.