Karl Lagerfeld to move Amsterdam office to sustainable heritage site

By

Shomara Roosblad

Published
Oct 16, 2018

Fashion label Karl Lagerfeld will be moving its Amsterdam office to a sustainable heritage site in Amsterdam. The office will be situated in the Zonnewijser building, a canal house at the Herengracht, built in 1615.

According to local media reports, the fashion house will move 150 employees to the new site in the spring of 2019.

Pier Paolo Righi, CEO at Karl Lagerfeld, commented: “As our brand and organization continue to grow, we are incredibly excited about our new office location for many reasons. The stunning Zonnewijser building illustrates the mix of 'classic and modern' elements at the heart of our brand DNA; Karl and our teams are very much looking forward to seeing and experiencing the new office space. Furthermore, Amsterdam’s vibrant but elegant atmosphere perfectly complements the spirit of Karl Lagerfeld, and we are thrilled to call this city of our headquarters.”

The 2,300-square-metre building, owned by real estate developer and investor Millten in partnership with Harvest Vastgoed, will be completely sealed off from the gas supply and instead be provided with Energy Label A +, which is exceptional for a monumental canal house. However, the building fits in with the sustainable aims of the City of Amsterdam to be completely gas-free by 2040.

Lennart Rottier, co-founder of Millten, said: “At Millten, we find sustainability a given, but this is difficult to realize within the boundaries of a historic building. We are therefore extremely proud that we, together with the tenant Karl Lagerfeld and adviser iLINQ, will ensure that the building is completely gas-powered and will be provided with Energy Label A +. In doing so, we carry the cultural heritage [of the building] far into the future.”

Millten was advised by international commercial real estate service and investment firm, CBRE, while Karl Lagerfeld was assisted by housing advisor Solved. In addition to the head office in Amsterdam, Karl Lagerfeld also operates from an office in Paris.