Paris Hilton and Karl Lagerfeld are clearly not done with each other yet.
After fronting the house’s Fall Winter 2025 and Spring Summer 2026 campaigns, Paris Hilton is extending her partnership with Karl Lagerfeld for Fall Winter 2026 and Spring Summer 2027. This time, though, the campaign comes with an unexpected new co star: NOT KARL, a digital character created as a playful alter ego for the fashion house.
It is a very Karl move. Familiar codes, sharp tailoring, a little irreverence and now a digital personality thrown into the mix.
Paris Hilton Steps Back Into Karl’s World
Paris has already become a surprisingly natural fit for the brand.
Her earlier campaigns brought a pop culture energy to Karl Lagerfeld’s polished Parisian aesthetic, mixing clean monochrome dressing with a more playful, glamorous attitude. The house itself has described her presence as adding a signature touch of glitter to its classic codes.
That relationship now continues into Fall Winter 2026, photographed for the first time by Matt Easton.
Paris is once again at the centre of the campaign, but the mood feels more self aware this time. Instead of simply placing her in another polished fashion story, the brand plays with its own image and legacy through NOT KARL.
Meet NOT KARL
NOT KARL is a new digital character introduced by the house for the Fall Winter 2026 campaign.
He is not meant to recreate Karl Lagerfeld himself. Instead, the idea seems to be more playful: a digital personality inspired by the brand’s wit, confidence and slightly provocative attitude.
In campaign imagery, Paris interacts with NOT KARL through retro screens and stylised setups, creating a visual conversation between fashion heritage and digital culture.
Paris herself described having NOT KARL on set as making the shoot feel unexpected and iconic.
It is less about replacing a person and more about giving the brand another character to play with.
And in a fashion landscape already experimenting heavily with AI, avatars and virtual personalities, the timing feels very deliberate.
The Clothes Stay Very Karl
For all the digital experimentation, the Fall Winter 2026 wardrobe stays firmly rooted in familiar Karl Lagerfeld territory.
Expect structured tailoring, sophisticated outerwear and strong black and white combinations, with graphic silhouettes doing much of the work.
One of the notable pieces is an elongated white shirt inspired by tuxedo dressing, which takes one of Karl Lagerfeld’s most recognisable signatures and stretches it into something more contemporary.
The overall mood is sharp but not stiff.
There is tailoring, but there is also ease. There are monochrome foundations, but accessories and styling keep the looks from becoming overly serious.
The K/Autograph Bags Take Centre Stage
Accessories also play an important role in the campaign.
The K/Autograph bag line is being positioned as one of the season’s key accessories, bringing a cleaner, more graphic shape into the collection.
That makes sense within the wider campaign direction.
If NOT KARL brings the digital personality and Paris brings the pop culture energy, the bags and tailoring keep everything visually anchored to the house itself.
The result is a campaign that feels new without completely abandoning what people associate with Karl Lagerfeld.
Kit Butler Joins the Campaign
Paris and NOT KARL are not the only faces in the story.
Model Kit Butler joins the campaign for menswear, bringing a more understated energy to the mix. The Fall Winter 2026 campaign will also include two surprise appearances, adding another layer to the rollout.
The campaign spans the wider Karl Lagerfeld universe, including KARL LAGERFELD, KARL LAGERFELD JEANS and KARL LAGERFELD PARIS.
Why Paris Hilton Still Works for Karl Lagerfeld
Paris may not be the most obvious person you would associate with sharp Parisian tailoring, and that is exactly why this partnership keeps working.
She brings a completely different kind of recognition to the brand.
Karl Lagerfeld’s visual language is controlled, graphic and polished. Paris brings humour, nostalgia, celebrity culture and a little excess.
Put the two together and the campaign feels less predictable.
That contrast has already carried the partnership through multiple seasons, and extending it into Spring Summer 2027 suggests the house sees Paris as more than a one campaign celebrity face.
She has become part of the current Karl Lagerfeld story.
Fashion Meets Digital Personality
The introduction of NOT KARL may end up being the more interesting development.
Fashion brands have spent the last few years experimenting with virtual models, digital campaigns and AI generated worlds. What Karl Lagerfeld is doing differently is turning that technology into a recurring personality.
If the character continues beyond one season, NOT KARL could become another recognisable part of the house’s visual identity.
For now, though, the pairing works because it does not take itself too seriously.
Paris Hilton beside a digital NOT KARL?
Somehow, it feels exactly on brand.
