Fashion designer Gideon Oberson pays tribute to the designer who did a lot of respect for Israel, Albert Elbaz, who passed away from Corona • "He was proud of his origin and Israeliness"
A man of people.
Elbaz in 2007
Photo:
AP
Albert Elbaz, who rose to prominence in the global fashion industry, passed away last Saturday in Paris from Corona disease.
Gideon Oberson, a veteran of Israeli fashion designers, was one of the first to recognize his greatness.
"When he studied at Shenkar and even after graduating, he did an internship with me," Oberson tells Israel Today.
"He was paying attention to work, and he was a man of people. I remember about five years ago, when I met him in Paris, he asked me how he was and the other facts. I will not forget that his mother came to my studio one day and told me that Albert had no means, that he had no Dad, and is it possible to make a living from fashion? I told her that with her son's talent she has nothing to worry about. And diligence, with dedication to the goal, he had a very special personality. "
Started from the bottom
Oberson says Elbaz was not afraid to be an apprentice and start from the bottom without shortcuts.
"One time I met him for coffee at the famous Hotel Crión in Paris, and this boy came in from Holon, and all the people in the hotel accepted him as a celeb, and on his part the attitude towards others was at eye level. When he worked in the United States I asked him, 'Albert, what are you doing there?' To me 'I'm only three years tying films.' 'Films are you tying?', I wondered, but he never resented doing a monotonous apprenticeship job. That's his way, he worked as an apprentice and got where he came from, he had no shortcuts Through, he would tell me that the studio in Lennon is like mine in Tel Aviv. He worked with a lot of designers he hired and was under tremendous pressure, he took every collection as a birth, and thanks to this diligence he succeeded. Although he is much younger than me, we are Old School, he had the The classic thinking of quality and beauty. "
He did not think of working in the country?
"He knew it was the profession he loved, and he knew he wanted to do it big, so he had no place in the country. He was not financially able to set up an independent business, so he looked at the big world and went to the United States, then came to Paris, Yves Saint Laurent and Lennon. "He knew that in Israel he could not rise, and he was right. In the end, he was one of the ten great designers of the last decades."
How much has his Israeli identity played a role in his career?
"In France he was accepted as a Moroccan, after all he is a Frenchman. He was proud of his origin and Israeliness, and was more defined as international. He worked a lot with Arab countries, with the principalities, and everyone knew he was Israeli, but he was neutral. ".
Everything is personal
Oberson goes on to explain that the main thing he will remember from Elbaz is undoubtedly the warm personality he had and his attitude towards people. "I was invited to his shows in Paris, and instead of messing with the models, he made sure I sat in the place he kept for me. He was very caring, personal and human. But the main thing for him was to give the good feeling to the wearer, and it does not matter if red is now at the height of fashion, if it does not suit this specific woman then he would not let her wear it, because most importantly the woman will feel good and comfortable in the garment he designs for her. His".
Oberson adds that "this approach has changed fashion both in terms of marketing and design, designing a coveted product that will not always be the next thing but will be the right thing, and not everyone knows how to do that. This is reflected in his latest collection, Albert said. He wears sneakers. He said that on the one hand it is very comfortable but on the other hand it is not elegant. He decided to combine and invented a sneaker whose toe is pointed, in order to give elegance and sportiness together. "And that's a success. I'm sure he would have made a difference with his new brand."
