October 12th, 2011

Karl Lagerfeld: “I have it in the blood”

In this preview clip from “Fashion: Backstage Pass,” CNN’s Alina Cho reports on designer Karl Lagerfeld’s successful career at Chanel.

Lagerfeld says, “You know, when I was asked to do it, Chanel wasn’t trendy at all. The owner said, ‘I’m not proud of the business. If you can make something, OK. If not, I’ll sell it.’ And we made something out of it because he gave me total freedom…. The label has an image. It’s up to me to update it. What I did, [Coco Chanel] never did, she would have hated.”

“Fashion: Backstage Pass” premieres Saturday, October 15 at 2:30pm ET on CNN.

CNN presents a very special edition of “Fashion: Backstage Pass” from Paris: the birthplace of fashion. In the city of light, it’s less about who’s in the front row and all about the clothes on the runway. CNN’s Alina Cho is back with her latest installment of the ongoing series, getting an exclusive behind-the scenes-look at Chanel’s Karl Lagerfeld. She gets up close and personal with the man behind the iconic red-soled shoes, Christian Louboutin and separates fact from fiction on the biggest story out of Paris: who will replace John Galliano as the next designer of Christian Dior. Also, Alina is one-on-one with the rumored favorite, Marc Jacobs, and Dior’s elusive CEO, Sidney Toledano.

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Alina Cho / CNN