No one knows precisely what Karl Lagerfeld and Paris Hilton said to each other at the 2006 event in Los Angeles for a Dom Perignon campaign lensed by the designer.

Some say he told Hilton that “The Simple Life” — the reality show that propelled her and Nicole Richie to international stardom — was one of his favorites.

Karl Lagerfeld chief executive officer Pier Paolo Righi could not verify that fact, though he felt confident the late German designer would smile on the fact that Hilton is now the star of a multifaceted campaign for his namesake brand.

“It is so unexpected, as Karl was,” Righi said in an exclusive interview to discuss the fall 2025 effort, which will roll out this month globally and crescendo with an event on Oct. 1 during Paris Fashion Week. “They knew each other and I think if Karl was still with us, he would have loved the idea.”

The executive said Lagerfeld and Hilton were both cultural icons in their own right, well beyond fashion.

“She invented a way of communicating in a different way in her cultural environment, as Karl did. She was probably the first influencer, or has invented that art herself. But there are many more elements, as she is a very successful businesswoman.

“The fact that Karl never took himself too seriously is also something that is very close to the way Paris portrays herself,” he added. “Similar to Karl, she is iconic, but the same time ironic.”

To be sure, the Karl Lagerfeld company is putting major firepower behind the “From Paris With Love” campaign, bumping up its marketing budgets by 30 percent for the “substantial, 360-degree” effort, which spans print, digital, out-of-home, social media, plus retail pop-ups and activations galore, Righi said.

High-profile placements will include billboards in New York’s Times Square, Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles, and Galeries Lafayette in Paris.

The brand also dusted off a cheeky 2011 interview Lagerfeld did with himself for the launch of his new “masstige” brand, inserting Hilton for some of the questions and answers.

The black-and-white images by photographer Chris Colls, whose graphic style is reminiscent of Lagerfeld’s, also corrals all of the brand’s product lines, including the main collection; the menswear line; the Karl Lagerfeld Paris brand produced and distributed by G-III, plus Karl Lagerfeld Jeans.

“As we continue to build on Karl’s legacy, we seek brand ambassadors who embody a similar icon status,” commented Jeffrey Goldfarb, executive vice president of G-III Apparel Group. “Paris Hilton’s fan base spans generations, and her global appeal resonates with our consumers worldwide. This partnership is designed to elevate our brand awareness on a global scale for all the brands under the Karl Lagerfeld umbrella.”

Having attended the photo shoot last May in Los Angeles, Righi marveled at how Hilton was nimbly able to convey classic chic and sophistication while wearing the main collection, and youthful verve in denim, reflecting her ability to resonate with multiple demographics.

“My expectations were exceeded by far,” he said. “She has this effortless way of taking it, making it and bringing it across to the various target audiences.”

Righi also discovered the Hilton has “quite a lot” of Karl Lagerfeld in her wardrobe, including fingerless gloves, which were a signature of the founder.

The plan is for Hilton to front a second campaign for the spring 2026 season.

Righi said the full-court press around Hilton comes amid strong momentum for the Karl Lagerfeld company, which logged double-digit increases across all channels in the first half of 2025.

“We have continued to grow substantially despite the market environment,” he said, also touting “very solid” like-for-like growth in its retail stores. “What we have seen is that our focus on the Karl core DNA and the elevation of the line is paying dividends.”