Google Trends :: Marc Jacobs vs. Karl Lagerfeld

Marc Jacobs and Karl Lagerfeld are both well known in the fashion industry; there's no doubt.

Lagerfeld :: REUTERS/Benoit Tessier

As the director of collections and ready-to-wear at Chanel, Karl Lagerfeld has his hands full; in addition, he keeps up with his own-name label that gives the consumer what he calls "intellectual sexiness."  Lagerfeld has been around for years, and his look is well known.  In fact, there are few people that will see his face in a picture or on television, and not know who he is. 

Seemingly clad in black and white at every appearance, he's never without his sunglasses.  Combined with his white ponytail, his high Edwardian collar, and his fingerless gloves, he has said that he looks like a "defrocked priest." Maybe not the most flattering, but it works for him.

Lagerfeld has a history in the fashion industry that dates back to 1955 when he was awarded a position at Pierre Balmain after winning a competition sponsored by the International Wool Secretariat.  He has worked with design houses such as Krizia, Charles Jourdan, Valentino, and Fendi; yet, with all the years that Lagerfeld has been around, his name, outside of Chanel, does not bring the same search volume to Google as that of Marc Jacobs.

Karl Lagerfeld Label :: Fall - Winter 2007 2008 :: Ready to Wear

Marc Jacobs on the other hand, has received plenty of Google searches.  In fact, according to compete.com, Jacobs has, on a consistent basis, between 40,000 and 50,000 hits to his website, every month; in contrast, they don't even register data for Lagerfeld.                                                                          Jacobs :: Photo by Eric Ryan/Getty    
The looks he creates are bright and colorful and are reminiscent of young and fun - at least to me.  Jacobs has never been afraid to push the envelope with his designs, and has been quoted as saying, "I love that reaction of love or hate. It's indifference that bores me to death."

Marc by Marc Jacobs
Resort 2007 Line

His namesake line, Marc by Marc Jacobs, is comparatively affordable when you look at some of the other designers.  That might be one of the things that makes him a bit more popular with those that are searching; when you think about designer clothes, you don't think affordability can be a reality.  The other thing is, Jacobs just looks like an average guy, and he comes across that way too; the press has been quoted as saying Karl Lagerfeld is arrogant and shallow.  Much of their opinion may have to do with the fact that Lagerfeld is incredibly quiet about his private life, while the entire world seemed to know when Marc Jacobs headed in to rehab.

So, on a graph, what does the breakdown really look like?  Well, here is a snapshot from Google Trends.

As you can see, while their mentions in the news are almost dead even in terms of ebbs and flows, their searches are not.  Marc Jacobs has been on top since the beginning.