After countless rumors, seven years after the death of Karl Lagerfeld, his inheritance remains undistributed. Throughout his life, the kaiser changed his will countless times, but the last one, handwritten, granted his fortune of around 200 million euros to seven individuals and his cat Choupette.
Despite having family ("I have a sister in the United States whom I haven't seen in 40 years, and her children have never sent me a Christmas card," he declared to the New York Times), the seven beneficiaries were Sébastien Jondeau -bodyguard, driver, and personal assistant-, Baptiste Giacobini -his model and muse-, model Brad Kroenig and his son Hudson -close friends-, Caroline Lebar -his communication director for over three decades, and Françoise Caçote, the loyal housekeeper to whom the Chanel artistic director entrusted the care of Choupette.
His Monegasque executor is in charge of ensuring that his last wishes are fulfilled, which, for now, will have to wait as there are some conflicts with the French tax authorities still to be resolved.
In statements to The Atlantic, loyal Caçote has revealed that she wants to "be completely transparent, as so far we have not received anything at all." Therefore, the employee has mentioned that "given the complexity of the situation, I have had to hire expensive lawyers to claim the inheritance on my behalf and ensure that Karl's wishes are properly respected."
For the creative genius, one of the most privileged minds of the 20th century in the fashion world, Choupette was his life. In the past, he declared to The Cut that "I never thought I could fall in love with an animal like this. She is the center of the world. If you saw her, you would understand. She's a bit like Greta Garbo."
And the most astonishing thing was when he said, "she is like a human being, but the good thing is that she is quiet. She hates other animals and hates children. She always stays with me and has two personal maids. They play with her, take care of her beautiful white fur, apply beauty treatments to her eyes, and entertain her."
Before his passing, Lagerfeld left very clear instructions for the care of the Birman feline, with white fur and blue eyes that has starred in campaigns, books, and always traveled on a private plane. The designer showered her with all the luxuries as if she were a high society lady.
"While things are being sorted out, I do everything possible to respect his wishes, especially that Choupette lacks nothing. That is my top priority. In addition to taking care of her, I work part-time to support her. She receives all the love, attention, and care she needs," assured the housekeeper to The Atlantic.
Despite his eccentricities, Choupette came into Lagerfeld's life in the simplest way, as Baptiste Giacobini entrusted the designer with her care in the fall of 2011 while he was away attending his commitments as a model. The little animal was three months old, it was the first time the German had a pet, and he was captivated by her beauty and behavior.
When the time came to return her, the fashion icon flatly refused as he had found his best travel companion. It was love at first sight, and as such, he decided that Choupette would receive the best care in the world with a chef, a bodyguard, and two caregivers.
Born in Hamburg in 1933, Karl Lagerfeld left school to fulfill his childhood dream of working in the luxury industry. At 16, he started at Pierre Balmain and eventually became one of the great revolutionaries of the catwalks thanks to his roles as creative director of Fendi and, of course, Chanel.