Karl Lagerfeld is one of the most recognised names in the fashion industry. As head designer and creative director of luxury fashion houses Chanel and Fendi, he is responsible for modernising the brand while still retaining the elegant chic Chanel is known for. Lagerfeld began his career as assistant to Pierre Balmain in 1958, after three years there he moved to Jean Patou where he designed two haute couture collections a year for five years. 1963 saw him design for Tizani, a couture fashion house, and the following year saw him begin a freelance career at Chloé. He began to collaborate with Fendi in 1972, designing furs, clothing, and accessories. In 1983, he was announced as creative director of Chanel, and his designs were revolutionary, experimenting with fabrics, styles and colour. While he introduced metallics and futuristic looks, Karl still looked to the past for inspiration, incorporating the gold accents and tweed that are signature to the Chanel brand. Also a photographer, Karl directs and photographs advertising campaigns for the fashion houses under his direction. His high-street collection with H&M, released in 2004, was completely sold out after just two days. Karl has a huge celebrity following: Jennifer Lopez, Blake Lively and Sarah Jessica Parker are just a few of the women who appreciate his designs. Rihanna and model of the moment, Cara Delevigne were in Paris this month to participate in Chanel's autumn winter 2014 collection, where Karl turned the beautiful Grand Palais into a supermarket. Only he could merge a supermarket sweep with high fashion, and make it achingly cool. This article was brought to you in association with HTC, Beautifully designed smartphones & manufacturer of the world's most awarded Smartphone in 2013, the HTC One