The Chanel boss has declared that the British capital is more “fun” and “alive” than any city in the world – including Paris, where the 80 year old fashion designer resides.
And Lagerfield isn’t full of hot air: Chanel’s creative director picked London over Paris as the home of his hi-tech new store which launched last Thursday (14 March).
Located on the newly revamped Regent Street, the 250-sqm flagship is the biggest Karl Lagerfeld store in Europe and features ready-to-wear collections and accessories, as well as limited edition souvenirs.
The new Channel store – the luxury French brand’s most technologically advanced shop to date – is the latest in a long line of international flagship shops including the world’s largest Hackett store, cult US shop J. Crew, KIKO MAKE UP MILANO and Longchamp to have set up shop on Regent Street. The West End street will receive a further retail boost this summer when Watches of Switzerland opens the UK’s largest standalone flagship watch store.
The launch of Lagerfeld’s new store was attended by the A-list likes of Pixie Lott, Daisy Lowe, David Gandy and Eliza Doolittle. Model of the moment, Cara Delevigne, was unable to attend the official opening but joined Lagerfield later for a private dinner at Harrods.
Speaking to London’s Evening Standard at the launch, the German fashion maestro gushed: “London is easy-going. For the moment, London is better and more fun than Paris. Paris is dangerous, here you don’t have the feeling of danger.”
Lagerfeld continued to complain about the pollution in Paris, revealing that “you cannot open a window it’s so horrible.”
Despite his damning words for the French capital, Lagerfeld still rates Paris as being up there right after London. “Do you know so many big cities after London and Paris?”, he demanded. “Give me a name – I don’t know where! The rest is okay, charming, whatever you want. But for the moment, London is more alive for me.”
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