Karl Lagerfeld is certainly keeping occupied these days. If he isn’t designing a gorgeous collection for any one of the three labels he runs, he’s honing his photography skills, and appearing in video games.
And now, as we previously reported, he is also extending his influence to the cuddly world of teddy bears with Steiff, the iconic German stuffed animal company.
2,500 limited-edition Karl bears which will be launched in Neiman Marcus stores this September for $1,500 USD each.
And what does the teddy bear look like? Well, Karl of course! The Karl bear is made of white alpaca (mimicking his namesake’s famous snow white mane), and features skinny jeans, sunglasses, a slick black blazer, and Karl’s signature Dracula-esque high white collar. The bear also features the traditional Steiff gold button in the ear, and pivoting joints so that you can pose him in any number of chic and austere looking fashion stances.
Personally, I cannot imagine spending so much on a teddy bear, even if it were a collector’s item. It could never be played with, and I can think of a few other items I would rather display on my coffee table than a bear dressed as a fashion icon. According to to the always quotable designer himself, “I never played with anything like toys. I wanted to be grown-up”, and I suppose in a sense so do I, no matter how kitschy and fun the item.
Would you buy a quirky collector’s item for the sake of fashion?
