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Designer Alber Elbaz dies at 59

2021-04-26T13:35:08.684Z


DISAPPEARANCE - The legendary bow-tie designer who revived venerable Lanvin fashion house in the early 2000s passed away on Saturday, April 24. His return in January, with the AZ Factory label, after 5 years of absence, had been applauded by the profession and by his many fans.


Alber Elbaz, the legendary artistic director with the bow tie who had known how to awaken the Lanvin house from 2001, died this Saturday, April 24, at the age of 59, confirmed the group Richemont, with which he had partnered. last year to launch his own brand, AZ Factory.

In January, after a five-year absence, he made his comeback, revealing the first collection of his new adventure, which he himself defined as "

smart fashion that cares about others

."

To read also: Alber Elbaz: “A sewing in my way,“ my way ”…”

I have lost not only a colleague, but also a beloved friend

,” Richemont founder and president Johann Rupert said in a statement, expressing his shock and sadness at the sudden passing of Elbaz.

Alber had a well-deserved reputation as one of the brightest and most beloved personalities in the business. I have always been seduced by his intelligence, his sensitivity, his generosity and his unbridled creativity. He was a man of exceptional warmth and talent, and his singular vision, sense of beauty and empathy leave an indelible impression.

"


Alber Elbaz was born in 1961 in Casablanca, Morocco, then grew up in Tel Aviv, where his parents settled when he was still a baby. He began to design dresses at a very young age, and in 1982 entered Shenkar College, the city's fashion and textile school. After his military service, he flew to New York where he joined the couturier Geoffrey Beene, of whom he became the right-hand man. In 1996, he was chosen to take over the artistic direction of Guy Laroche in Paris. There it shines. In November 1998, Pierre Bergé called him: he took over the head of women's ready-to-wear at Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche, where he spent three seasons, before the takeover of the house by Kering and the appointment of Tom Ford.

He then took a sabbatical year, before becoming, in 2001, the artistic director of Lanvin. It brings the house into a new dimension, highlighting a feminine silhouette, where the cocktail dress predominates. Attracted by the seductive chic of Elbaz's creations, a new generation of customers pushes the door of the famous house in the faubourg Saint-Honoré. Obsessed with femininity, comfort, and desire, he will dress celebrities, from Meryl Streep, for the Oscar reception in 2012, to Nicole Kidman, Gwyneth Paltrow and Catherine Deneuve.

The success of his designs and his exuberant and endearing personality make him a fashion star. “

My mother used to say to me, 'Be small and big; big in your work but small in your life, be simple, be humble. ”,

he said. In 2008,

Le Figaro

already wrote about it: “

Elbaz works with people, with empathy, with contact. Tells him that he loves people, that he likes only that, that he does not collect anything except the letters that are addressed to him. His world ignores texting and the computer. On his round cheeks, he splashes a sweet scent, an oriental and musky blend, ultrasensual, an elixir that drives you crazy, that sticks to your skin after you have kissed him. Way like any other to leave a trace of him,a wake that clings to others

. " Before his departure from Lanvin in 2015, he brought the house into pop culture, designing stamps for the French Post Office, dressing Minnie for the 20th anniversary of Disneyland Paris.

After his departure and before his partnership with Richemont, he multiplied his collaborations, with Tod's, Converse, Lancôme and Frédéric Malle in particular. Then made his comeback, with AZ Factory, where in January he offered the first collection of his version of couture, with close-fitting shapes and a resolutely “fun” silhouette, turned towards new technologies. "

I wondered a lot about the question of age

," he said to

Le Figaro

in January, on the occasion of his return.

I did not find myself in this world where the designer must be 16 years old and the CEO, 22 years old maximum: am I still part of this story?

The industry had applauded the return, showing that he still had his place in a landscape he had missed during his absence. He, for his part, did not fail to take a lucid look at the world and the times. “

We live in a world that generates too much loneliness and too much aggression. A world that has too many "likes" and not enough "love",

he said.

Now is the time, I believe, to allow yourself to be yourself and to love yourself. ”

Source: lefigaro

All news articles on 2021-04-26

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