All About Karl Lagerfeld's Longtime Muse, Brad Kroenig

Meet one of Karl Lagerfeld's most significant muses.

The late German fashion designer was known for his carefully curated list of influences that inspired his creative vision. One of the most significant? Model Brad Kroenig, who worked closely with the designer from 2003 until his death in 2019.

Born and raised in a middle-class suburb south of St. Louis, the Missouri native's respect for Lagerfeld was mutual; he even named Lagerfeld the godfather for his elder son Hudson. And after dropping out of Florida International University to pursue modeling and studying fashion magazines to give himself an advantage, he knew Lagerfeld was someone he hoped to work with.

"I thought, 'Wow, this guy is, like, walking around in sunglasses and all these ridiculous outfits. This guy is living big,'" Kroenig told the New York Times Magazine in a 2015 profile.

After being signed to Ford models, Kroenig went from a "commercial-looking" Abercrombie & Fitch model to the face of Chanel and Fendi (two fashion houses where Lagerfeld was the head designer), with help from his agent Sam Doerfler, who transformed him into a more "editorial" model that would appeal to Lagerfeld's aesthetic sensibility.

Kroenig attributes his success to his longtime relationship with Lagerfeld. "If I never met Karl, there's no way I'd still be modeling," Kroenig told the New York Times Magazine.

His son, Hudson, followed in his father's fashionable footsteps and become one of "Uncle Karl's" inspirations as well, flying on Lagerfeld's jet and walking in Chanel shows.

While it's unclear whether either of the Kroenigs will attend the 2023 Met Gala to celebrate its "Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty" theme, read on to learn all about the man who Vogue formerly named "one of the top 10 male models of all time."

He was first photographed by Karl Lagerfeld in 2003

Upon moving to New York in 2001 and signing a three-year deal with the Ford agency, Kroenig's modeling career began. His toned, clean-cut physique catered to commercial clients — but Kroenig had his sights set on high fashion, specifically striving to work with Lagerfeld.

"To give Brad a more distinct look that might attract European designers, [Sam] Doerfler had Brad spend a year growing his hair long and transforming his muscular physique into a more lanky one," according to the NYT Magazine.

It wasn't long before Kroenig walked the runway for Dolce & Gabbana in Milan and shot covers like the influential male magazine L'Uomo Vogue, but 2003 was the turning point for the then-budding model. He landed a fully-nude shoot in Biarritz with VMAN, a gig for which Lagerfeld was the photographer.

"He probably took one picture of each of the other guys and, like, 20 of me," Kroenig recalled in the profile. From that point on, the trajectory of Kroenig's career had been forever changed.

"After Biarritz, Lagerfeld photographed Brad constantly, almost as if he were studying an exotic new species: Brad walking, sleeping, eating, shaving, swimming and working out; Brad nude or seminude in showers and bathtubs, on beds and on balconies."

He was considered one of 'Karl's Boys'

Kroenig was fostered into Lagerfeld's inner circle known as "Karl's Boys," of which he became the most senior and prominent member. He joined British model Jake Davies and French model Baptiste Giabiconi in forming the designer's entourage.

They'd accompany Lagerfeld on his travels and parties around the world, trail behind him as he exited cars and private jets — and above all, became a part of the "designer's provocative image." But to Lagerfeld, he didn't necessarily categorize his nicknamed crew.

"I don't give labels for it. Labels is something I design for, they're not what I give to persons," Lagerfeld told the NYT Magazine.

"I see them like family," he added. "I have no family at all, so it's good to have, like, sons but without the unpleasant problems sons can create."

He named Karl Lagerfeld the godfather of his son, Hudson

Although Kroenig wasn't biologically related to Lagerfeld, the familial relationship Lagerfeld referred to became literally when, in 2008, Kroenig and his wife Nicole welcomed their first son, Hudson Nicholas, and named Lagerfeld the godfather.

"Karl was a huge part of my success," Kroenig (now a father of two sons) told Sarasota Magazine in August 2022. "He was down to earth and always so nice. He loved cracking jokes and was the best at one-liners."

Hudson, now 14, first did a photoshoot with Lagerfeld in Berlin as a toddler, and their fashion relationship continued. "We thought it was a one-time thing, and then he booked the Chanel show when he was two," said Kroenig of his son, who went on to regularly join Lagerfeld at the end of his Chanel shows.

But his young age didn't mean he was spared Lagerfeld's legendary "tough love," even memorably being told as a five-year-old he'd have to find somewhere to sleep on Lagerfeld's jet when there was only one bed available.

"You sleep on your seat, darling … I have to arrive fresh, you don't have to. Don't be selfish," the New York Times Magazine reported Lagerfeld saying.

Meanwhile, Lagerfeld — the outlet was sure to note — wound up falling asleep upright in his seat, too. (Lagerfeld was never married, nor had kids of his own.)

He was the subject of Karl Lagerfeld's four-volume book

Kroenig become the subject of Lagerfeld's four-volume book, Metamorphoses of an American, published in November 2007. The work consists entirely of five years worth of photographs of the model shot by the famed photographer himself.

He and his wife now work in real estate

Kroenig has been signed with Ford Models for over 20 years, but when he is not working in his initial career, he and his wife Nicole are building their real estate brand in Florida together.

Brad initially was a New York Realtor with the Corcoran Group, but now works with Coldwell Banker serving Longboat Key, Florida and its surrounding areas.