After Europe and the U.S., 'Kaiser Karl' eyes Asia

By Dini S. Djalal

JAKARTA (JP): The 1997 Haute Couture shows in Paris ended last week with the world's fashion capital buzzing about the rejuvenation of their biggest fashion houses.

Fashion pundits are rolling out the red carpet for media darlings John Galliano and Alexander McQueen, the new designers at Christian Dior and Givenchy, respectively. But the excitement of feeding off the British youthquake -- both Galliano and McQueen are young Londoners -- is not universal. Some Parisians -- like Jean-Paul Gaultier, the passed-over contender for Dior -- are scoffing at the foreign conquest of le patrimoine culturel.

Yet ensconced in an opulent 18th-century palais while still overseeing three major fashion houses is the undeniable monarch of fashion's fickle hierarchy: the German-born Karl Lagerfeld.

Lagerfeld has his fingerprints all over the French fashion map and few complain of his non-Franco origins. Designer for Chloe since 1964, Lagerfeld became artistic director at Chanel in 1983. Within a few years, Lagerfeld fast-forwarded the Chanel image from that of staid moneyed matron to funky street-wise mademoiselle, reinstating Chanel's fashion preeminence. In 1984, he established his own avant-garde label, called Karl Lagerfeld.

The man with the fan -- Lagerfeld rarely poses for cameras without his trademark dark glasses, ponytail, and fan -- was destined to succeed. The son of a dairy magnate, Lagerfeld grew up accompanying his mother to the couturiers. The family moved to Paris when he was 14, and, at age 16, Lagerfeld won first prize at an International Wool Secretariat design contest. He was then hired as an assistant at Pierre Balmain, where he worked for three years. Afterwards, he became chief designer at Jean Patou. At Chloe, he made his name, and the line, famous.

Reputation

Now Lagerfeld is known as "Kaiser Karl" and his reputation is unmatched. Other couture salons are heading towards closure, but Lagerfeld, at Chanel couture, still sells dresses at US$175,000 each. The Karl Lagerfeld line is not a household name like Chanel, but it too is a substantial business. The line is part of the Vendome Group, whose collection of 10 luxury goods manufacturers, including Cartier and Chloe, reported earnings for 1993 exceeding $1.6 billion.

Having conquered Europe and the United States, Lagerfeld is setting his bespectacled eyes on Asia. This week, Christina Zeller, director of Karl Lagerfeld Accessories, was in Jakarta to promote the Karl Lagerfeld boutique at Plaza Senayan. "Mr. Lagerfeld hates flying," answered the former model when asked the whereabouts of her high-profile boss.

Jakarta's Karl Lagerfeld boutique is only one of three in Asia, the others being in Bangkok and Tokyo. It's a curious choice. Karl Lagerfeld boutiques have yet to open in either New York, Milan, Hong Kong, or Singapore.

"I know it wasn't a strategic decision to open a boutique in Jakarta before New York or Milan, but the opportunity was there and we have a good partner (PT Yasalancar Mandiri)," Zeller answered with a laugh. Zeller explains that in the United States, the Karl Lagerfeld line already has "great visibility" in quality department stores such as Neiman Marcus, so boutiques are not yet necessary. As for Singapore, Zeller says that it is currently "overstocked" and that they are waiting for the market to clear.

Zeller makes clear, however, that all retailer eyes remain on Asia. "Some brands are living 80 percent off the Asian market. If you go to Prada in Milan, most of the people queuing are Japanese," said Zeller. Southeast Asia offers the most promise, she adds. "There is no real middle class yet, but it's important to already be here when the middle class grows," she said.

Indonesia's elite are already snatching up the bags, if not the outlandish ready-to-wear. "Our accessories sales are quite good. The clothes are not our bread-and-butter you know. In Asia, it only counts for 20 percent of the sales," said Zeller.

It's little wonder why. Lagerfeld's 1996 Autumn/Winter collection, with its maxi coats and skinny knits, continued his reverence for very tall and very thin women. His 1997 Spring/Summer collection -- a parade of sheer body-skimming knitwear over flesh-colored leotards -- again showed that less is more, or rather, less is just less. During a presentation of the collections at the Fashion Cafe, local press complained that the clothes were unrealistic for short Indonesian women.

Zeller counters that the company is aware of the designs' limitations, but that risks are part and parcel of the business. "Mr. Lagerfeld is honest with himself. We're not expecting huge volumes," said Zeller. Zeller says the company realizes the fine line between esthetic integrity and commercial appeal, but argues the extremism is in sync with their marketing strategy.

"If you want to capture a larger market, yes you have to make concessions. But you have to start with a strong image," she said.

It's this strong image, and the publicity it attracts, that ensures success for cheaper second lines. With a German manufacturer, Lagerfeld produced KL by Lagerfeld, a bridge line which has gone bust except in Japan, where it is now made there for an exclusively Japanese market. Lagerfeld is now negotiating for a new bridge collection. "The main-line market is getting smaller and smaller. Even the wealthy are not spending so much money now on ready-to-wear," Zeller explained. "The future is in casuals, in bridge lines, in jeans," said Zeller.

The king of couture doing denim? It's not such a stretch for a man who put rollerblades on the Chanel catwalks and dressed socialites in thousand-dollar lycra and khakis. "With Mr. Lagerfeld, there's always something new. He can design 30 dresses in 10 minutes!," said Zeller. Zeller says that a bridge line would nurture Lagerfeld's creative juices rather than stifle them. "With a less expensive bridge line, he can explore the possibilities of design, because he won't have to do much marketing for them," she said.

And Zeller has no reservations in admitting that the fashion industry, however glamorous, is still a business. "No one is working for glory anymore," she said. Zeller confirmed that the man who once said "Don't ever do business with your own money" is as astute in business as he is in art. "Yes, he's a businessman. He likes money," she said.

How long Lagerfeld will reign at the top is subject to debate. His peers, noticeably Yves Saint Laurent, have lost the limelight to younger contenders. Lagerfeld is now 58 years old.

"Of course he's very concerned with his age," Zeller admitted. "But he's certainly not old in the mind. He still has a good 10 years in the business".

More pressing to Zeller is not Lagerfeld's condition but the general state of French fashion. Zeller described France's fashion industry as part of the cultural patrimony, and that the partnerships with big business, such as the Vendome Group or the Louis Vuitton Moet Henessy (LVMH) Group, are beneficial in "perpetuating the value of the country". But Zeller admits that the industry is not sure of its direction, which Zeller claims should not be couture but commercialism.

"Everybody in Paris is thinking about the future. Succession is a big problem for some of the fashion houses," said Zeller. Zeller -- obviously a sharp businesswoman and perhaps echoing her peers' sentiments of the Dior and Givenchy shake-up, although contradicting the key to Lagerfeld's success as an image invigorator -- said: "Sometimes it's better to leave things beautiful as they were. It's better to start with a new name, because the market is different".