{ "id": "epenm6x7yy", "slug": "becoming-karl-lagerfeld", "title": "Becoming Karl Lagerfeld", "updated": "2026-11-01", "topic_path": [ { "id": "culture", "label": "Arts and culture", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture" }, { "id": "culture.performance", "label": "Screen and stage", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen", "label": "Film and television", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.series", "label": "Series and fictional screen worlds", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.series" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.series.series_scripted_tv", "label": "Scripted television and comedy series", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.series.series_scripted_tv" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.series.series_scripted_tv.drama-prestige-series", "label": "Drama and prestige series (individual series)", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.series.series_scripted_tv.drama-prestige-series" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.series.series_scripted_tv.drama-prestige-series.historical-and-period-drama", "label": "Historical and period drama", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.series.series_scripted_tv.drama-prestige-series.historical-and-period-drama" } ], "geo": [ { "id": "geo.weu.t2021.culture.performance.screen.series.series_scripted_tv.drama-prestige-series.historical-and-period-drama", "label": "Western Europe · 2021 and later: Historical and period drama", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.weu.t2021.culture.performance.screen.series.series_scripted_tv.drama-prestige-series.historical-and-period-drama", "path": [ { "id": "geo.weu", "label": "Western Europe", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.weu" }, { "id": "geo.weu.t2021", "label": "Western Europe · 2021 and later", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.weu.t2021" }, { "id": "geo.weu.t2021.culture", "label": "Arts and culture", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.weu.t2021.culture" }, { "id": "geo.weu.t2021.culture.performance", "label": "Screen and stage", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.weu.t2021.culture.performance" }, { "id": "geo.weu.t2021.culture.performance.screen", "label": "Film and television", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.weu.t2021.culture.performance.screen" }, { "id": "geo.weu.t2021.culture.performance.screen.series", "label": "Series and fictional screen worlds", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.weu.t2021.culture.performance.screen.series" }, { "id": "geo.weu.t2021.culture.performance.screen.series.series_scripted_tv", "label": "Scripted television and comedy series", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.weu.t2021.culture.performance.screen.series.series_scripted_tv" }, { "id": "geo.weu.t2021.culture.performance.screen.series.series_scripted_tv.drama-prestige-series", "label": "Drama and prestige series (individual series)", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.weu.t2021.culture.performance.screen.series.series_scripted_tv.drama-prestige-series" }, { "id": "geo.weu.t2021.culture.performance.screen.series.series_scripted_tv.drama-prestige-series.historical-and-period-drama", "label": "Historical and period drama", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.weu.t2021.culture.performance.screen.series.series_scripted_tv.drama-prestige-series.historical-and-period-drama" } ] } ], "excerpt": "Becoming Karl Lagerfeld (Kaiser Karl) is a 2024 French Disney+ six-episode biographical drama starring Daniel Brühl as Karl Lagerfeld in 1972, covering his rivalry with Yves Saint Laurent and love for Jacques de Bascher, adapted from Raphaëlle Bacqué's biography.", "snippet": "Becoming Karl Lagerfeld (Kaiser Karl) is a 2024 French Disney+ six-episode biographical drama starring Daniel Brühl as Karl Lagerfeld in 1972, covering his rivalry with Yves Saint Laurent and love for Jacques de Bascher, adapted from Raphaëlle Bacqué's biography.", "node": "culture.performance.screen.series.series_scripted_tv.drama-prestige-series.historical-and-period-drama", "markdown": "# Becoming Karl Lagerfeld\n\n**Becoming Karl Lagerfeld** (original title *Kaiser Karl*) is a French-language biographical drama limited series of six episodes that dramatizes [Karl Lagerfeld](https://www.edgepedia.org/karl-lagerfeld)'s rise in the Paris fashion world of the 1970s, before he became the publicly famous designer of the Chanel era. It was created by Isaure Pisani-Ferry, Jennifer Have, and Raphaëlle Bacqué, produced by Gaumont and Jour Premier for Disney+, and released on June 7, 2024 on Disney+ internationally and on Hulu in the United States.[1](https://press.disney.co.uk/news/new-look-at-disney%2B-original-series-becoming-karl-lagerfeld-starring-daniel-br%C3%BChl-with-official-trailer-key-art-and-imagery) • [2](https://press.hulu.com/shows/becoming-karl-lagerfeld/)\n\n| Key fact | Detail |\n|---|---|\n| Format | Six-episode French-language limited series, about 44 minutes per episode; drama/biography[3](https://www.tvmaze.com/shows/67424/becoming-karl-lagerfeld) |\n| Release | June 7, 2024, on Disney+ (and Hulu in the US); all six episodes released that day[1](https://press.disney.co.uk/news/new-look-at-disney%2B-original-series-becoming-karl-lagerfeld-starring-daniel-br%C3%BChl-with-official-trailer-key-art-and-imagery) • [3](https://www.tvmaze.com/shows/67424/becoming-karl-lagerfeld) |\n| Source | Adapted from the biography *Kaiser Karl* (Albin Michel, 2019) by Raphaëlle Bacqué, a *Le Monde* reporter[4](https://www.lemonde.fr/culture/article/2024/06/07/pause-series-cristobal-balenciaga-the-new-look-becoming-karl-lagerfeld-la-mode-ou-la-marque_6237890_3246.html) |\n| Setting | Paris, Monaco, and Rome in 1972, when Lagerfeld is a 38-year-old ready-to-wear designer unknown to the general public[1](https://press.disney.co.uk/news/new-look-at-disney%2B-original-series-becoming-karl-lagerfeld-starring-daniel-br%C3%BChl-with-official-trailer-key-art-and-imagery) |\n| Lead cast | Daniel Brühl as Karl Lagerfeld, Théodore Pellerin as Jacques de Bascher, Arnaud Valois as Yves Saint Laurent, Alex Lutz as Pierre Bergé, Agnès Jaoui as Gabrielle Aghion[2](https://press.hulu.com/shows/becoming-karl-lagerfeld/) |\n| Direction | Jérôme Salle directed episodes 1, 2, and 6; Audrey Estrougo directed episodes 3, 4, and 5[2](https://press.hulu.com/shows/becoming-karl-lagerfeld/) |\n| Reception | 79% on the Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer from 19 reviews; Metascore 58 on Metacritic[5](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/becoming_karl_lagerfeld/s01) • [6](https://www.metacritic.com/tv/becoming-karl-lagerfeld/critic-reviews/) |\n\n## Spoilers\n\n### Premise and story\n\nThe series opens in 1972. Karl Lagerfeld, played by [Daniel Brühl](https://www.edgepedia.org/daniel-bruhl), is a ready-to-wear designer of little public renown who does not yet wear the powdered ponytail that later became his trademark. He works for the house of Chloé under its founder Gabrielle Aghion and picks up freelance work for Fendi.[1](https://press.disney.co.uk/news/new-look-at-disney%2B-original-series-becoming-karl-lagerfeld-starring-daniel-br%C3%BChl-with-official-trailer-key-art-and-imagery) • [7](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/article/2024/jun/07/becoming-karl-lagerfeld-review-an-absolute-feast-for-the-eyes) His encounter with [Jacques de Bascher](https://www.edgepedia.org/jacques-de-bascher), a young, ambitious dandy with whom he falls in love, changes the course of the story, and Lagerfeld dares to take on his friend and rival Yves Saint Laurent, the dominant haute couture figure of the moment, backed by the businessman [Pierre Bergé](https://www.edgepedia.org/pierre-berge).[1](https://press.disney.co.uk/news/new-look-at-disney%2B-original-series-becoming-karl-lagerfeld-starring-daniel-br%C3%BChl-with-official-trailer-key-art-and-imagery)\n\nThe six episodes carry titles that trace the arc: \"The Mercenary of Prêt-à-Porter,\" \"Do You Have a Style?\", \"In Bed With Karl,\" \"Bad Reputation,\" \"The Wedding of the Century,\" and \"Monaco?\".[5](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/becoming_karl_lagerfeld/s01) The action moves between Parisian nights, chateaus, and events in Rome and Monaco, and the show presents Lagerfeld as a man driven by the ambition to become, in the production's phrase, the Emperor of fashion.[1](https://press.disney.co.uk/news/new-look-at-disney%2B-original-series-becoming-karl-lagerfeld-starring-daniel-br%C3%BChl-with-official-trailer-key-art-and-imagery)\n\n## Production and development\n\nDisney's EMEA arm commissioned the project in August 2021 under the title *Kaiser Karl* as a Star Original, announcing it as the first dramatic series focused on Lagerfeld and the first collaboration between Disney and Gaumont on a French original show.[8](https://press.disney.co.uk/news/dramatic-series-kaiser-karl-based-upon-the-life-of-karl-lagerfeld-coming-to-disney%2B-) The casting of Brühl, Pellerin, Valois, Lutz, and Agnès Jaoui was announced in March 2023.[9](https://newsroom.disney.fr/actualites/casting-haute-couture-pour-la-serie-evenement-kaiser-karl-prochainement-sur-disney-7528-dc71f.html) Isaure Pisani-Ferry, a French screenwriter previously known for *Kaboul Kitchen*, *Vampires*, and *[Ganglands](https://www.edgepedia.org/ganglands)*, is the series' lead writer, co-writing all episodes with Dominique Baumard, Jennifer Have, and Nathalie Hertzberg; Jérôme Salle also serves as executive producer alongside Arnaud de Crémiers of Jour Premier.[2](https://press.hulu.com/shows/becoming-karl-lagerfeld/) • [10](https://archive.theamericanfrenchfilmfestival.org/2024/becoming-karl-lagerfeld-1/index.html)\n\nThe adaptation rests on Bacqué's 2019 biography *Kaiser Karl*, published shortly after Lagerfeld's death in February 2019.[11](https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/actor-daniel-br-hl-talks-174809496.html) Each episode begins with a disclaimer noting that some content was invented for dramatic effect, and reviewers have treated the show as a dramatization rather than a documentary.[12](https://www.original-cin.ca/posts/2024/6/11/becoming-karl-lagerfeld-docudrama-mini-series-features-fashion-culture-sex-and-broad-characterizations-on-repeat-mode)\n\n## Historical background behind the drama\n\nThe love triangle at the center of the series has a documented basis. In real life, de Bascher's 1974 affair with Yves Saint Laurent escalated the competition between Lagerfeld and Saint Laurent into a bitter rivalry that effectively ended their friendship. According to William Middleton's biography *Paradise Now*, the affair lasted about six months and was cut short by Pierre Bergé, who blamed de Bascher and Lagerfeld for Saint Laurent's drug use and declining mental health.[13](https://time.com/6986242/beoming-karl-lagerfeld-love-triangle-true-story/) Lagerfeld remained a constant in de Bascher's life until de Bascher's death at 35 in 1989 from AIDS, and after de Bascher tested positive for HIV in 1984, Lagerfeld arranged medical care and slept in a cot in his hospital room.[13](https://time.com/6986242/beoming-karl-lagerfeld-love-triangle-true-story/)\n\nThe series stops before the period of Lagerfeld's later public controversies. As *The Guardian* noted, the noted controversies occurred long after the show's timeline concludes, and within the 1970s setting Lagerfeld's sharpest traits appear as manipulation and cruelty toward those closest to him rather than the public statements that drew criticism in later decades.[7](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/article/2024/jun/07/becoming-karl-lagerfeld-review-an-absolute-feast-for-the-eyes)\n\n## Release and reception\n\nThe series world premiered at the Canneseries television festival in 2024, where it screened out of competition and received a standing ovation.[14](https://cineuropa.org/en/film/458448/) • [15](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt27052740/news/) A preview screening was held at the Grand Rex in Paris on May 28, 2024, ahead of the June 7 streaming launch.[16](https://newsroom.disney.fr/actualites/le-tapis-rouge-du-grand-rex-a-pris-des-allures-de-catwalk-hier-pour-lavant-premiere-de-la-serie-evenement-becoming-karl-lagerfeld-ca3e-dc71f.html)\n\nCritical response was mixed to positive. On Rotten Tomatoes the limited series holds a 79% Tomatometer from 19 reviews, with a critics consensus calling it \"a fun fashionista lark given some crucial pizzazz by Daniel Brühl\"; Metacritic recorded a Metascore of 58, indicating mixed or average reviews.[5](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/becoming_karl_lagerfeld/s01) • [6](https://www.metacritic.com/tv/becoming-karl-lagerfeld/critic-reviews/) *The Guardian* praised the period styling and Brühl's portrayal of Lagerfeld as a carefully curated construct, while *Variety* found the portrait largely surface-level, and *The Telegraph* and Decider were cooler, with the latter questioning whether the drama supplies enough conflict for viewers interested in Lagerfeld's history.[7](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/article/2024/jun/07/becoming-karl-lagerfeld-review-an-absolute-feast-for-the-eyes) • [6](https://www.metacritic.com/tv/becoming-karl-lagerfeld/critic-reviews/) [French press](https://www.edgepedia.org/french-press) aggregated by AlloCiné gave an average rating of 3.9 out of 5 across 13 reviews.[17](https://www.allocine.fr/series/ficheserie-29999/critiques/presse/)\n\nThe series arrived amid a cluster of fashion-industry dramas in 2024, following *Cristóbal Balenciaga* and *The New Look*, and *Le Monde* placed it at the end of that run of programs staging figures of \"French style\".[4](https://www.lemonde.fr/culture/article/2024/06/07/pause-series-cristobal-balenciaga-the-new-look-becoming-karl-lagerfeld-la-mode-ou-la-marque_6237890_3246.html) It is rated 16+ on Disney+ and TV-MA on Hulu, reflecting strong sexuality, drug use, and drinking depicted in the story.[18](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7hugYD-nb58) • [19](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/tv-reviews/becoming-karl-lagerfeld)\n\n## References\n\n1. [New look at Disney+ original series \"Becoming Karl Lagerfeld\" starring Daniel Brühl, Disney+ UK Press](https://press.disney.co.uk/news/new-look-at-disney%2B-original-series-becoming-karl-lagerfeld-starring-daniel-br%C3%BChl-with-official-trailer-key-art-and-imagery)\n2. [Becoming Karl Lagerfeld, Hulu Press](https://press.hulu.com/shows/becoming-karl-lagerfeld/)\n3. [Becoming Karl Lagerfeld, TVmaze](https://www.tvmaze.com/shows/67424/becoming-karl-lagerfeld)\n4. [Pause séries : « Cristobal Balenciaga », « The New Look », « Becoming Karl Lagerfeld », Le Monde (June 7, 2024)](https://www.lemonde.fr/culture/article/2024/06/07/pause-series-cristobal-balenciaga-the-new-look-becoming-karl-lagerfeld-la-mode-ou-la-marque_6237890_3246.html)\n5. [Becoming Karl Lagerfeld: Limited Series, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/becoming_karl_lagerfeld/s01)\n6. [Becoming Karl Lagerfeld critic reviews, Metacritic](https://www.metacritic.com/tv/becoming-karl-lagerfeld/critic-reviews/)\n7. [Becoming Karl Lagerfeld review – an absolute feast for the eyes, The Guardian (June 7, 2024)](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/article/2024/jun/07/becoming-karl-lagerfeld-review-an-absolute-feast-for-the-eyes)\n8. [Dramatic series Kaiser Karl based upon the life of Karl Lagerfeld coming to Disney+, Disney+ UK Press (August 31, 2021)](https://press.disney.co.uk/news/dramatic-series-kaiser-karl-based-upon-the-life-of-karl-lagerfeld-coming-to-disney%2B-)\n9. [Casting haute couture pour la série événement « Kaiser Karl », Disney+ France Newsroom (March 9, 2023)](https://newsroom.disney.fr/actualites/casting-haute-couture-pour-la-serie-evenement-kaiser-karl-prochainement-sur-disney-7528-dc71f.html)\n10. [Becoming Karl Lagerfeld, The American French Film Festival](https://archive.theamericanfrenchfilmfestival.org/2024/becoming-karl-lagerfeld-1/index.html)\n11. [Actor Daniel Brühl Talks 'Becoming Karl Lagerfeld' in Hulu's Six-part Series, Yahoo Entertainment/WWD](https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/actor-daniel-br-hl-talks-174809496.html)\n12. [Becoming Karl Lagerfeld: Miniseries features fashion, culture, sex and characterizations, Original Cin](https://www.original-cin.ca/posts/2024/6/11/becoming-karl-lagerfeld-docudrama-mini-series-features-fashion-culture-sex-and-broad-characterizations-on-repeat-mode)\n13. [The Scandalous Real-Life Love Triangle at the Heart of Becoming Karl Lagerfeld, TIME (June 7, 2024)](https://time.com/6986242/beoming-karl-lagerfeld-love-triangle-true-story/)\n14. [Becoming Karl Lagerfeld (Kaiser Karl), Cineuropa](https://cineuropa.org/en/film/458448/)\n15. [Becoming Karl Lagerfeld (TV Mini Series 2024) – News, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt27052740/news/)\n16. [Le tapis rouge du Grand Rex… avant-première de « Becoming Karl Lagerfeld », Disney+ France Newsroom (May 29, 2024)](https://newsroom.disney.fr/actualites/le-tapis-rouge-du-grand-rex-a-pris-des-allures-de-catwalk-hier-pour-lavant-premiere-de-la-serie-evenement-becoming-karl-lagerfeld-ca3e-dc71f.html)\n17. [Critique presse Becoming Karl Lagerfeld, AlloCiné](https://www.allocine.fr/series/ficheserie-29999/critiques/presse/)\n18. [Becoming Karl Lagerfeld – Bande-annonce officielle (VF), Disney Plus FR, YouTube (April 24, 2024)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7hugYD-nb58)\n19. [Becoming Karl Lagerfeld – Parents' Guide & TV Review, Common Sense Media](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/tv-reviews/becoming-karl-lagerfeld)\n\n---\n*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Series and fictional screen worlds › Scripted television and comedy series › Drama and prestige series (individual series) › Historical and period drama*\n\n*Initially written Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*\n\n*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*\n\nLicense: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license\n", "same_as": [], "url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/becoming-karl-lagerfeld", "markdown_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/becoming-karl-lagerfeld.md", "license": { "name": "Edgepedia Community License 1.0", "url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license", "summary": "Free with credit, commercial use included. AI training is open to everyone. For other uses, organizations over USD 100M in revenue or 100M monthly users license separately.", "spdx": "LicenseRef-Edgepedia-Community-1.0" }, "credit": "\"Becoming Karl Lagerfeld\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/becoming-karl-lagerfeld. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.", "credit_md": "\"[Becoming Karl Lagerfeld](https://www.edgepedia.org/becoming-karl-lagerfeld)\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), [https://www.edgepedia.org/becoming-karl-lagerfeld](https://www.edgepedia.org/becoming-karl-lagerfeld). [Edgepedia Community License 1.0](https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license).", "credit_html": "\"Becoming Karl Lagerfeld\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/becoming-karl-lagerfeld. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.", "speakable": "Becoming Karl Lagerfeld is a 2024 French Disney+ six-episode biographical drama starring Daniel Brühl as Karl Lagerfeld in 1972, covering his rivalry with Yves Saint Laurent and love for Jacques de Bascher, adapted from Raphaëlle Bacqué's biography." }