Karl Lagerfeld, the Designer

Karl Lagerfeld’s first contact with the fashion industry took place in 1954 when he won the first prize for his coat design in the French International Wool Secretariat. One year later he was hired by Pierre Balmain and then he worked as a freelance designer for several brands like Chloe, Krizia, Valentino, and shoemaker Charles Jourdan.

In 1967 he was hired by Fendi in the role of consultant director and worked with the Italian design house his whole career. The time he spent working as creative director for Chanel, from 1983 until his death, has turned out to be a very successful one for the French house because Karl’s creative spirit stood out in many of Chanel’s collections he has designed over the years.

Karl was not only a great designer but also an excellent photographer, taking care of many fashion advertisements of Chanel and having photographs published in fashion magazines like British Vogue and Interview.

Collaboration with S.T. Dupont

Although it’s not known how the collaboration began, whether it was just a marketing move or the artist’s desire, Karl Lagerfeld has managed to bring his artistic vision to the writing instrument industry with a glamorous collection that reflects his persona so faithfully. Inspired by his love of nail polish and make-up objects, the ‘Mon Dupont’ collection was launched in 2012 in two color versions: „Prestige” in red lacquer with gold accents and „Chic” in black lacquer with palladium-plated elements.

The collection stands out for its design, which is slightly unusual for Dupont. However, I find it attractive. Simple yet sophisticated, with a design characterized by straight, rounded surfaces that merge into a triangular appearance, the collection is as much a work of art as it is a functional writing tool. I like the way the pens are crafted: the rounded surfaces ensure increased ergonomics when writing while the flat parts make sure that the pens won’t roll off one’s desk.

Although Dupont couldn’t influence the pen’s silhouette too much, the brand’s distinctive sign, the iconic “D”, adorns the top of the cap and is coated in lacquer. Each pen is fitted with a 14k gold Dupont nib.

In addition to the fountain pen, Dupont offered ‘Mon Dupont’ as a rollerball pen and ballpoint pen.

I tried looking for this pen on the internet, but couldn’t find any in stock, with one of the collections being sold at auction by Sotheby’s. The only option for avid collectors would be to look for pieces at auctions or on the secondary market. By the way, would you buy this pen if it were still in stock?