Karl Lagerfeld sketches expected to sell for thousands at auction

The late fashion designer was known to frequently throw his sketches away

A selection of original sketches by the late fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld are expected to sell for thousands when they're auctioned in Florida later this month.

The archive of 125 original sketches and portfolios have been privately owned since the 1960s.

They were drawn by Lagerfeld while he was working as a couturier at the House of Tiziani in Rome during the early stages of his career.

The collection is especially rare as the former Chanel creative director was known to frequently throw his sketches away.

“I throw everything away," he told The New Yorker magazine in 2007. "The most important piece of furniture in a house is the garbage can! I keep no archives of my own, no sketches, no photos, no clothes—nothing!"

Two of the most valuable sketches included in the auction, which is due to take place on 18 April, were drawn by Lagerfeld for Hollywood star Elizabeth Taylor.

The sketches are expected to sell for around $1,000 (£766) to $3,000 (£2,300) each.

Other portfolio collections on offer at the auction are estimated to reach between $2,000 (£1,533) and $4,000 (£3,067).

This sketch drawn by Lagerfeld for Hollywood star Elizabeth Taylor is expected to sell for £2,300 (Urban Culture Auctions/ SWNS.com)

The sketches included in the auction with the least value are expected to reach between $500 (£383) and $1,500 (£1,150) each.

The sale is being held by Urban Culture Auctions in association with Palm Beach Modern Auctions.

“These sketches are the work of one of the most brilliant couturiers of the last half century,” said Rico Baca, co-owner of Urban Culture Auctions. “They are very rare and might not have survived had they remained in Lagerfeld’s possession."

Lagerfeld passed away in Paris on Tuesday 19 February at the age of 85.

Lagerfeld was creative director of French fashion house Chanel since 1983, in addition to being creative director of Italian fashion house Fendi.

He launched his eponymous fashion label in 1984.