France's president is an 'imbecile', Karl Lagerfeld says

Paris-based German fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld has slammed the French president as “an imbecile” whose “disastrous” policies “will drive the rich out of France”.

The comments were made in an interview for the Spanish edition of Marie Claire magazine, extracts of which were published on the website of Spanish daily El Mundo on Friday.

“This imbecile, he’ll be just as disastrous as [former Spanish premier José Luis] Zapatero,” he told the magazine, which he is guest editing for its 25th anniversary.

“Hollande hates the rich. He clearly wants to punish them -- they’ll leave [the country] and nobody will invest,” he said. “Foreigners won’t invest, and things will stop working.

“Apart from fashion, jewellery, perfume and wine, France has no edge," said Lagerfeld. "Nothing else sells. Who buys French cars? Not me.”

Just two weeks ago, France’s richest man, businessman Bernard Arnault, pledged to move to Belgium to escape Hollande’s stiff tax increases on the rich, including a proposed 75% tax rate on incomes of more than €1 million.

Laurence Parisot, the CEO of powerful French business federation Medef, told French radio RTL on Thursday that while Lagerfeld “has talent, he is also a provocateur and can be rude. (...) Hollande is certainly not an imbecile.”

Lagerfeld also accused the king of Spain, Juan Carlos, of not being good enough for his wife, Queen Sofia, who the designer said he “adored”.

“The queen is the most gallant person in the world. She shouldn't have to put up with the king’s foolishness,” he said.

(FRANCE 24 with wires)