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Miniaudière ‘Choupette in love’, Karl Lagerfeld

The clutch 'Choupette' was donated by Karl Lagerfeld to the Museum of Bags and Purses in 2015. Choupette (born 15 August 2011) is a blue-cream tortie Birman cat which was the pet of German fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld from around Christmas 2011 until Lagerfeld's death on 19 February 2019 at the age of 85. Originally belonging to the French model Baptiste Giabiconi, Choupette was given as a gift to Lagerfeld around Christmas 2011 following a stay with the designer while Giabiconi was abroad. "When he came back I thought I'm sorry Choupette is mine," said Lagerfeld. Lagerfeld adored the animal with its prominent bushy tail and blue eyes. Karl Lagerfeld designed fashion and accessories inspired by the cat. Furthermore, Choupette - which in French means 'cute girl' - got a lot of deals. In 2014, for example, the cat earned three million euros from a promotional campaign for the Opel car brand. She was also allowed to grace the cover of 'Vogue', got her own clothing line, her own book and is an Instagram icon with almost 40,000 followers.
France, 2015