Karl Lagerfeld

Karl Otto Lagerfeld started in the 1950s, moving through Balmain, Patou, and Chloé before Chanel hired him in 1983. What he did there was resuscitation: he took a brand losing ground and turned it back into one of the top fashion houses in the world, controlling everything from the cuts to the camera work to how the shops looked. He kept that job until he died in February 2019, ran Fendi simultaneously, shot his own advertising photography, and built his own label on the side. The white ponytail, black sunglasses, and stiff detachable collars became as recognized as the work itself.