So, the godfather of fashion designers, Karl Lagerfeld, has passed away.
With a career spanning over 50 years at Balmain, Chloe, Fendi and Chanel, amongst other fashion houses, he lived with his beloved cat Choupette Lagerfeld. A cat with a jet set lifestyle, two maids, as well as 117k Instagram followers and a successful modelling career.
Choupette may be due of the designer’s £96m fortune – after Lagerfeld’s previous interview admission that he was leaving a chunk to her.
Shortly after he acquired her as a newborn kitten from a male model in August 2011, the designer set up his fluffy accoutrement with her own Twitter account – the first celebrity pet to receive such an honour.
However, it’s Choupette’s Instagram feed, closely-watched by thousands, which has given us the best insight into the life of Lagerfeld’s cat.
The loyal feline companion has round-the-clock care from two maids, who groom her white coat four times a day. They even served her up the same food as her master at the dining table.
During her downtime, she reclines on a £10,000 sofa and plays on her own personal iPad – presumably posting selfies for eager followers.
Choupette also travels by private jet – or a £1,500 Louis Vuitton cat carrier – and stay in the world’s most exclusive hotels.
She has also developed a successful career in her own right, including starring in a film for Net-a-Porter and appearing on the cover of Vogue with supermodel Gisele Bundchen. As a result, she became a personality in her own right – and in 2014 was profiled in book Choupette: The Private Life of a High-Flying Cat.
Karl said in a 2013 TV interview: “I never thought I would fall in love like this with a cat. It was love at first sight.”
The male model who owned the kitten was going on holiday and asked if he could leave her with the staff at Karl’s house while he was away. Karl said “She was still a baby at the time, and I found her so cute that when Baptiste came home I said to him, ‘Sorry but I’m keeping her!'”
And so, what now for Choupette? She must be lost without her master. But very wealthy, and awash with eager staff to dry away the feline tears.
