Roger FingasApple has gifted Karl Lagerfeld with a specially-crafted Apple Watch featuring not just a yellow gold body but also a matching gold link bracelet, according to the fashion designer's personal assistant and bodyguard.
Sebastien Jondeau shared a photo of the gift in a Wednesday post on Instagram. The value of the device wasn't mentioned, but a yellow gold 42mm Watch costs $12,000 to $15,000, which could easily make Lagerfeld's model twice as expensive or more. Regular Edition models use gold only in the body and parts like clasps and buckles.
Lagerfeld is the head of Chanel, Fendi, and his own fashion brand. The designer turned up at a Paris Apple Watch event in September alongside other famous fashion icons such as Vogue editor Anna Wintour. His solid-gold band was first noted by MacRumors.
The gift appears to be another example of Apple securing strategic product placement. The device has already been spotted in fashion spreads and on the wrists of celebrities like Drake, Pharrell Williams, and Katy Perry, despite it not officially shipping until April 24. Lagerfeld though is a major figure in the fashion industry, and targeting him could help build the Watch's cachet in those circles.
Apple will be showcasing the gadget later this week during the Salone del Mobile, a major Italian furniture fair which also accepts some other design entries.
Wesley Hilliard
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56 Comments
why..?
[quote name="gregq" url="/t/185786/fashion-designer-karl-lagerfeld-given-custom-all-gold-apple-watch-band#post_2710462"]
why..?
[/quote] Marketing. The same reason all those other people got watches before they went on sale. It's all about helping to drive sales.
smart. probably worth much more than the $30K-ish it costs to gift this in PR and good will. i'm waiting on apple to gift me mine. i have major influence within my immediate office space!
That thing must weigh a ton compared to the other models. The SS Link Bracelet model is heavy enough already.
Having held a senior marketing role at an apparel brand. The answer to your question "Why" is easy. Give Lagerfeld a $30k watch and see coverage all over the word that would cost 100's times more. Like him or not Lagerfeld is an icon in the fashion community and people all over the world, will be thinking, if it's OK for karl, then it's OK for me. This strategy of seeding the top of the pyramid is standard practice. i'd have been surprised if Apple had not given them away to opinion leaders. Rob