Fashion’s latest accessory fetish springs from controversial roots. The teddy bear came into being, or so the story goes, when President Theodore Roosevelt refused to kill an American black bear on a hunting trip, and the resulting political cartoon inspired a soft toy. Now it has inspired a thousand fashionistas, too: this season, add a furry bear to your outfit for the ultimate in ironic faux-naïf style. Of course, there is the fashion icon of the autumn, Brideshead Revisited’s Sebastian Flyte, or, for once, take your cue from Paris Hilton, with a candy-sweet princess version. Even Karl Lagerfeld has got in on the act, with a stern-looking teddy made in his image. Here, he explains the appeal of the toy bear.

How do you explain the fact that a man like you still refuses to give up his teddy?

I like animals very much — above all, when they are stuffed with cotton or plastic. It is the best way to be sure they do not bite, eat, smell badly or mess with your things.

Was it your idea to collaborate with Steiff on a teddy bear in your likeness?

Even if I seem unapproachable, in general people come to me, and not the opposite.

Steiff contacted my devoted director of communications, Caroline. One cannot call me. One must go through the nurse in order to see the baby.

Were you immediately seduced by the idea?

Instantly. It is everything that I love. I have already lent my likeness to a lead figurine and to video games. Why not a teddy bear?

Were you familiar with Steiff teddy bears when you were in your German cradle?

In Germany, we are all given a Steiff teddy bear when we are born. I had one when I was very young, which only lasted for a while: I did not stay a child for long.

I would have imagined you more with dolls, like all self-respecting young designers.

My God. I have a profound horror of dolls.

They scare me. All near-perfect replicas of the human form fill me with terror. With animals, it is different. A pretty teddy bear and a good dog are the same thing: they sleep all the time and do not bother anyone.

A teddy bear in your own likeness: might you not be a bit narcissistic, Mr Lagerfeld?

I am interested only in myself and my own reflection. I am an itinerant caricature who adapts to many frameworks and situations. I am a sort of Charlie Chaplin of today.

Were you not a bit of a teddy bear yourself, before you lost all that weight?

The only difference was that I was never anyone’s toy. A small nuance.

Did you follow every step of the teddy bear’s creation?

I am not Dr Frankenstein, so, no, I did not watch the assembly of the creature up close. I did supervise all the clothes fittings at our Paris studios, where we have a studio director who is an expert in miniature ready-to-wear.

Why are teddy bears invariably asexual?

Because parents do not want their offspring to have fun too early in life. It is like the comic in which a small girl, Erna, goes to the candy shop and asks for a chocolate doll.

The clerk responds: “Would you prefer a little boy or a little girl?” And Erna replies: “A little boy — there is more chocolate.”

Do your enemies behave like voodoo witches and try to attack your poor, defenceless teddy bear by sticking needles in him?

It does not matter to me. Black magic could not do much to me. I sold my soul to the devil ages ago.

Do you sleep with your teddy bear?

I sleep alone, facing myself. Which is the same thing, since the teddy bear is made in my likeness.

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