Karl Lagerfeld

Karl Lagerfeld fragrances grew out of the fashion universe created by the German-born designer Karl Lagerfeld, who built his career in Paris and became known worldwide as a couturier, creative director and photographer. His first major step into perfumery came in 1975 with the co-creation of Chloé for Woman for the fashion house Chloé, a floral scent that introduced his aesthetic to the fragrance market. In 1978 he founded his own fragrance brand, launching the masculine scent Lagerfeld (often referred to as Lagerfeld Classic), a woody-aromatic composition that established his name as a standalone perfume label.

Over the following decades, Lagerfeld worked with several industry partners including Fabergé, Unilever and Coty to release a series of perfumes under his name. Notable launches include KL for women in 1982, KL Homme in 1986, Lagerfeld Photo in 1990, Sun Moon Stars in 1994, Jako in 1997, Lagerfeld Femme in 2000 and Lagerfeld Man in 2002. In 2008 the unisex Kapsule trio (Woody, Light and Floriental) showed a more conceptual side of the brand. Since 2014, the line has been refreshed with Karl Lagerfeld Pour Homme and Karl Lagerfeld for Her, followed by the Les Parfums Matières collection starting around 2017, which focuses on specific materials like vetiver and amber.

Inter Parfums, Inc. holds the fragrance license for Karl Lagerfeld, developing and distributing the modern range of scents. Between the mid 1970s and the early 2020s, the label has been associated with roughly 40 fragrances created with the help of more than 20 perfumers. The portfolio spans fresh citrus woods, powdery florals and richer oriental-woody styles, often packaged in bottles that reference Lagerfeld’s graphic, fashion-driven visual language.