Anna Wintour reveals she broke down at airport when she found out Karl Lagerfeld died

'He was a completely exceptional person'

Anna Wintour has revealed that she “bawled” after finding out about the death of Karl Lagerfeld.

During an interview at the Women in the World Summit 2019 on Friday, the long-time US Vogue editor spoke about her reaction to the news that Chanel’s then creative director had passed away on 19 February.

Wintour explained that she was in London when she first heard about the prolific designer’s death and that it wasn’t until the following day, while waiting for an early morning flight to Milan, that she began to emotionally process the loss of Lagerfeld.

“I was in an airport reading all of the papers, the obituaries, sitting next to a very unfashionable man, in a checkered shirt, you know, and I just started to bawl,” Wintour recalled.

“[The man] just started silently handing me kerchiefs. I said, ‘Thank you for being so kind’ and he said ‘Madam, the world has lost a great figure.’ Even he felt the loss.

"Karl was just this force. There was no one, there is no one like Karl; he was a completely exceptional person.”

The news of Lagerfeld’s death was confirmed by Chanel with an official statement that read: "An extraordinary creative individual, Karl Lagerfeld reinvented the brand’s codes created by Gabrielle [Coco] Chanel: the Chanel jacket and suit, the little black dress, the precious tweeds, the two-tone shoes, the quilted handbags, the pearls and costume jewellery.

“Regarding Gabrielle Chanel, he said, ‘My job is not to do what she did, but what she would have done. The good thing about Chanel is it is an idea you can adapt to many things.”’

Meanwhile, a post on the official Instagram account for Lagerfeld’s own label described him as “one of the greatest designers of our time”.

At the time, Wintour issued a statement on the Vogue website, stating: “Today the world lost a giant among men. Karl was so much more than our greatest and most prolific designer — his creative genius was breathtaking and to be his friend was an exceptional gift.

“Karl was brilliant, he was wicked, he was funny, he was generous beyond measure and he was deeply kind. I will miss him so very much.”

She also shared a touching tribute to the late designer, in an article titled: “My Brilliant Friend: Anna Wintour Remembers Karl Lagerfeld”, in which she recalled how much their professional and personal relationship meant to her.

“I was always thrilled to celebrate Karl’s incredible creativity in Vogue, yet it’s as a person, not as a designer, that I will miss him most,” Wintour wrote.

“My colourful compatriot. My brilliant friend. Karl would want us to think only of the future, but today I’m leaving a place for sadness at what has passed.”

Speculation regarding Lagerfeld’s health began circulating in January after he did not attend Chanel’s haute couture show. In previous years, he has walked the runway himself during the show’s finale.

Both Chanel and Fendi paid tribute to the late designer at their autumn/winter 2019 runway shows.

While Chanel began its highly-anticipated Paris Fashion Week show with a minute’s silence, Fendi played a video of Lagerfeld sketching the outfit he wore on his first day working at Fendi in 1965.

In the clip, the camera focussed in on the sketch as the German-born designer can be heard describing his ensemble in the image which featured a Norfolk jacket, French style culottes, boots and a bag.