Update 20/02/2019

Chanel announced yesterday that Virginie Viard, Lagerfeld's right-hand, will take over the creative operations for the brand following the designer's passing 'so that the legacy of Gabrielle Chanel and Karl Lagerfeld can live on.'

She first joined the luxury label in 1987 as an intern, four years after Lagerfeld.

Since then, Viard has been by Lagerfeld’s side at Chanel for more than three decades, ensuring that the label is run smoothly. She previously held the role of fashion creation studio director at the French fashion house.

The pair worked together closely every day.

'I make the collections come to life with the ateliers and the Métiers d’Art houses, based on Karl’s sketches,' Viard told The Telegraph in 2017. 'I coordinate the teams, liaise with suppliers and choose fabrics. Then, of course, I do fittings with Karl. As soon as I receive his sketches, the process begins. I try to please him, but I like to surprise him too.'

Viard added that she and Lagerfeld speak 'all the time; and they see each other every day. Sometime he sends her sketches via phone.

'The complicity is total,' she added.

They were so close, sometimes he'd text her as his cat, Choupette.

Viard divulged to W magazine that Lagerfeld would text her in his beloved cat Choupette's voice, sometimes accompanying the messages with a photo of his pet.

'He signs them, Your Choupette,' she said. 'He might not like that I’m saying this.'

Despite the cat texts, the pair's friendship is undeniable. In Netflix's 7 Days Out documentary series, Lagerfeld said of Viard: 'Virginie is the most important person, not only for me but also for the atelier, for everything. She is my right arm and even if I don't see her, we are on the phone all the time.'

Karl Lagerfeld has died at 85, according to reports in France.

The iconic fashion designer, who was the creative director of Chanel, died after a period of ill health that lasted for weeks.

People in the industry, such as stylist Katie Grand, have posted their respects. 'There are too many great stories and fun times to detail, you are incredibly special and talented and I was very lucky to have known you,' she wrote on Instagram.

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The likes of Victoria Beckham, Alexa Chung and author Lou Stoppard posted their respects.

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In a seven-decade career, Lagerfeld created collections simultaneously for the celebrated houses of Chanel and Fendi, in addition to his signature label. He had been Creative Director of Chanel, started by Coco Chanel, since 1983.

But speculation had been growing over the 85-year-old’s health. Back in January, he was absent from Chanel’s haute couture shows in Paris.

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When the first of the two shows had ended without an appearance from the superstar designer, an announcement was made that he was expected at the noon show, but he never showed up.

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'Mr Lagerfeld, artistic director of Chanel, who was feeling tired, asked Virginie Viard, director of the creative studio of the house, to represent him,' said a statement after the second show.

It was the first occasion Lagerfeld had missed a catwalk show.

After his designs, Lagerfeld was perhaps best known for his signature outfit: a black suit with his white hair pushed into a ponytail, fingerless gloves and dark glasses.

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He was born Karl Otto Lagerfeldt in 1933 in Germany. Lagerfeld changed his original surname from Lagerfeldt, because he believed it sounded 'more commercial'.

He emigrated to Paris as a young teenager, and became a design assistant for Pierre Balmain, before working at Fendi and Chloe in the 1960s.

He began his long career with Chanel in 1983, a decade after Coco Chanel died. In his first season, he was reported to be 'working 16 hours a day and delighted to do it'. He spent a record-breaking 36 years at the house.

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Talk had already turned in recent weeks to who could succeed Karl when he eventually stepped down from Chanel. For the past year, Lagerfeld has made most of his catwalk appearances jointly with Virginie Viard, director of the creative studio of the house of Chanel, which has prompted talk of a succession.

Others are suggesting Phoebe Philo might take the reins, though it's all rumours at this stage.

No cause of death has been confirmed. We will keep updating this story.

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