Fashion icon Karl Lagerfeld has died aged 85, according to sources close to Chanel.

The iconic designer, who was the creative director of Chanel, is believed to have been unwell for two weeks before his death in a Paris hospital.

He had missed two of Chanel’s haute couture Paris shows in on January 22, but the fashion company only said at the time he was feeling tired.

In a statement read out after he missed the second show, it said: “Mr Lagerfeld, artistic director of Chanel, who was feeling tired, asked Virginie Viard, director of the creative studio of the house, to represent him.”

It was the first time he had ever missed giving a catwalk bow at the end of a Chanel show.

Karl has presided over the iconic fashion house, established by Coco Chanel, for more than three decades, producing as much as eight collections a year – to the joy of fashion editors, fans and collectors.

“I am like a caricature of myself, and I like that,” runs one legendary quote attributed to him, and often recycled to convey the person he liked to play.

“It is like a mask. And for me the Carnival of Venice lasts all year long.”