Karl Lagerfeld owned more than 1,000 of his iconic high-collared shirts, and he helped design them himself

• Karl Lagerfeld has died at the age of 85.
• Chanel's creative director died in hospital in Paris on Tuesday morning.
• Besides his creative vision, Lagerfeld will be remembered for iconic outfit of a tailored black jacket, black shades, and a highly-starched, high-collared white shirt.
• The London tailor responsible for creating Lagerfeld's trademark shirts, Hilditch & Key, told INSIDER that the designer had more than 1,000 of them made.
• Hilditch & Key also sent INSIDER a number of sketches drawn by Lagerfeld himself for the tailors to work from.

Iconic fashion desginer Karl Lagerfeld has died at the age of 85.

The cause of death for Chanel's creative director is not yet known, but reports suggest Lagerfeld had been "weak for many weeks."

A statement from The House of Karl Lagerfeld sent to INSIDER confirmed he died on Tuesday morning in Paris.

He died in hospital after being urgently admitted on Monday night, according to French news site Pure People.

Besides his creative vision, Lagerfeld will be remembered for his zingy — often controversial — one-liners and, of course, his iconic high-collared white shirts, each with enough starch to stand of their own accord.

Lagerfeld's shirts, teamed with a black tailored jacket, wide black tie with tie pin, fingerless gloves, and shock-white hair formed an iconic look that was as instantly recognisable as a superhero's costume.

Read more: Karl Lagerfeld said his cat Choupette was one of the heirs to his $200 million fortune

According to a profile written by The Independent in 2011, Lagerfeld had around 1,000 of the white shirts, which he bought from Jermyn Street tailors Hilditch & Key in London.

"Mr Lagerfeld had a long-standing relationship with Hilditch & Key," the tailor's CEO Steven Miller wrote in an email to INSIDER.

"He will be sadly missed in the fashion world."

Miller added that 1,000 shirts "was a very conservative estimation," and that Lagerfeld would actually send in hand-drawn designs for his shirts.

He included some of the sketches of the shirts, which offer a fascinating insight into the way Lagerfeld worked.

"He was first introduced to the brand by his uncle at the age of 16," Miller said.

In this sketch, Lagerfeld even includes his own iconic shades and ponytail.

Miller added that the tailors "will miss him greatly."

SEE ALSO: In an interview a year before his death, Karl Lagerfeld said he'd had 'every test under the sun and they can't find anything wrong'

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