Newsmaker of the week : Choupette Lagerfeld



The 'Millionaire Cat' is our newsmaker this week.

Choupette Lagerfeld is one lucky cat. Not only is she famous for being the pet of legendary designer Karl Lagerfeld but is also a celebrity kitty herself.

The blue eyed siamese kitty recently made history for being the 'The Highest Paid Cat In Fashion' after raking in 3 million euros which she earned from 2 modeling gigs, for japanese cosmetics brand Shu Uemura and the other for a Vauxhall Corsa car calendar. Lagerfeld told 'The Cut' that Choupette is so well-paid, and in such high demand, that she has to be pretty selective about to jobs she takes on. "I don't allow her to do foodstuffs and things like this," comments Karl. "She's too sophisticated for that."

The story behind Choupette's origin is an incredible one. Originally belonging to the French male model Baptiste Giabiconi, Choupette was given as a gift to Lagerfeld around Christmas 2011 following a stay with the designer while Giabiconi was abroad. "She is a famous beauty," Lagerfeld told Vogue in 2012. "Baptiste [Giabiconi] gave her to me for Christmas to watch for two weeks when he was away, but then I refused to give her back. I thought she was too cute. She is like a kept woman. She has a strong personality. She has lunch and dinner with me on the table, with her own food. She doesn't touch my food. She doesn't want to eat on the floor. She sleeps under a pillow and she even knows how to use an iPad. She has two personal maids, for both night and day. She is beyond spoiled."

With multiple 'interviews' in high-end fashion magazines, a Twitter account and an Instagram account Choupette's celebrity status has grown. Among her particularities is her use of the Apple iPad, her quoted 'choice' to eat at table next to Lagerfeld, and her love of antique lace, Colette shopping bags and Goyard. She has two "beloved" maids, Françoise and Marjorie, who tend to her every need (a task that includes taking care of her hair and other beauty jobs) and keep a diary of her activities and moods for the reference of Lagerfeld and an on-call vet. Of the two maids, Choupette is said to prefer Françoise.

In June 2013, Lagerfeld announced that he wished to marry Choupette. He said in an interview with CNN, "There is no marriage, yet, for human beings and animals… I never thought that I would fall in love like this with a cat." Speaking recently with the 'The Cut' her spoke of her remarkable personality saying; "She had something unique. She is like a human being, but the good thing is that she's silent. You don't have to discuss it. She hates other animals and she hates children. She stays always with me...She is the centre of the world. If you saw her, you would understand. She is kind of Greta Garbo. There is something unforgettable about her, the way she moves, the way she plays. She's an inspiration for elegance. For attitude."

Choupette has also been credited as the inspiration behind Lagerfeld's cornflower blue Spring 2012 Couture collection. She appeared with supermodel Gisele Bundchen on the cover of Vogue Brazil's December 2014 issue. In 2014 Choupette got her own book Choupette : The Private Life of a High-Flying Fashion Cat, a 128 pager guide in which she dispensed essential advice on lifestyle, diet, fashion, beauty and international travel.

The 3-million-euro-earning cat stars next alongside Karl in a capsule collection for the designers eponymous label.

Well, whoever would guess that a celebrity car could beat the likes of Cara Delevingne, Joan Smalls, Candice Swanepoel, Erin Heatherton and Daria Werbowy.

Check back next week to find out who our next Newsmaker is.