It would be an understatement to say we admire Karl Lagerfeld. The multi-talented creative has his hand in countless artistic outlets from the obvious—creative director at Chanel, to the obscure—director of a 2011 Magnum Ice Cream campaign starring Rachel Bilson. But our favorite things about the designer are the ways in which he achieves greatness; the practices that result in his intriguing je ne sais quoi, his outside the box thinking, and larger than life reality. In a recent Harper’s Bazaar feature titled “My List," (in which the magazine spends 24 hours with a featured designer) we learned just how precise a day in the life of The Kaiser can be. For example, he sleeps in pristine white linens—freshly laundered each day; he has two houses—one he reserves for complete privacy, the other merely meters away; and he routinely sketches in the morning—next to a window with views of the Louvre and the Seine. Peculiarities have become his routine and not only yield great success but continue to spark new ideas for creative collaborations. Following numerous partnerships from H&M to Macy’s and last year’s cosmetic line with Sephora (you’d have to be living under a rock to miss his affinity for joining creative forces to grow his brand) comes Lagerfeld’s latest endeavor with Shu Uemura.

Picture this: our celebrated creator, poised in his window canopy gazing over a crisp Parisian morning, bringing his daydreams to life as he sketches whimsical designs. Here’s where it gets interesting. A set of Prismacolor pencils would be a far too predictable medium. Instead, Lagerfeld’s materials of choice are Shu Uemura cosmetics. For the past two decades, he’s been using the unrivaled colors in everything from fashion illustrations to political cartoons. Later this year, we will all get to benefit from Lagerfeld’s loyalty to the Japanese beauty brand. The designer is set to create a special holiday collection, Karl Lagerfeld for Shu Uemura, to debut this November.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The brand was founded by its namesake in 1983. Tokyo native and Hollywood makeup artist Shu Uemura premiered his signature Cleansing Oil in 1960, which continues to be a best seller in the brand’s Asian market today. Lagerfeld sites his affinity to the brand in the Bazaar article (he used to religiously use a discontinued bath product) and according to WWD, uses the cosmetics in illustration “because other manufactures do not offer such beautiful colors.” Lagerfeld’s highly coveted illustrations have made cameo appearances in Chanel marketing throughout his career. Now, paired with an equally covetable cosmetics company, we highly anticipate the forthcoming products of this joint venture. The 17 piece collection, with unique colors and packaging designed by Lagerfeld, will be sold in over 400 Shu Uemura retailers. He’s also in charge of the collaboration’s campaign, which he has already begun photographing. Pier Paolo Righi, president of Karl Lagerfeld, tells WWD the collection will “reflect the designer’s iconic, ironic style.”

Stay tuned, we’re looking forward to more details and the project’s unveiling in September.