Alvar Elbaz.

When I was a fashion design student at Shankar this name was said in the corridors with reverence.

Alvar Elbaz.

The most famous graduate of the department in Shankar who was one of the most important designers in the world of fashion in the 20th and 21st century.

The first designer to succeed the legendary Yves Saint Laurent and qualify for the highest peaks.

The most successful Israeli fashion designer in the world.

Born in Casablanca, Morocco, grew up in Holon and from there went on to New York and took Paris by storm.

Anna Wintour, the famous editor of Vogue magazine and the most powerful woman in the world of fashion, called him a "genius" and said "he knew how to embrace life at its best."

In 2005, Alvar received an award from Shanker.

I was a student in my fourth year and I remember very well his words at the gala evening in his honor, "I left Shankar 20 years ago with two suitcases: a small one with personal belongings and a large one full of dreams.

I wish you all to never stop dreaming.'

He used to illustrate uniforms for policewomen, doctors or the teacher he liked.

Elbaz's fashion illustrations, 1974-6,

The dreams were the main material that motivated Albert in his life and work.

From childhood, in a housing apartment in the Tel Givorim neighborhood in Holon, Albert developed the ability to imagine and dream of the big world.

He started illustrating at the age of six: he drew new uniforms for nurses, doctors, police officers and a teacher he especially liked.

His sisters told me that when he was ten years old, uncles from Spain came to visit and gave his mother a gift: a scarf by the fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent.

Albert examined the scarf closely and announced: "One day I will work for this designer."

Twenty years later, Yves Saint Laurent chose him to succeed him in his famous fashion house.

Alvar, who unexpectedly died of the corona disease in April 2021, was famous all over the world and received tremendous recognition, but surprisingly, it seems that not everyone in Israel got to know him.

It is important to say, the exhibition about Alvar should have been done during his lifetime.

Alvar himself did not like to summarize, "I don't do retrospectives" he said, and the "Dream Factory" exhibition respects his path and does not try to summarize his life.

Despite this, this is the most comprehensive exhibition dedicated to Alber, with over 100 clothing sets and hundreds of photographs, videos, objects and personal items revealing his life and work to the general public for the first time.

Love was a milestone in his life, and the exhibition, above all, is a love story for Albert.

The exhibition aims to tell a story that has yet to be told, and it is an invitation to get to know the man who spread love with generosity and sincerity that are not typical of the fashion world, to get to know his exciting life story and his captivating personality, and above all - to fall in love.

His sisters told me that when he was ten years old, uncles from Spain came to visit and gave his mother a gift: a scarf by the fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent.

Albert examined the scarf closely and announced: "One day I will work for this designer."

Twenty years later, Yves Saint Laurent chose him to succeed him in his famous fashion house

The Holon Design Museum, a cultural gem in the heart of the city where he grew up, is the perfect place to create an original exhibition that draws inspiration from Alvar himself - the man who loved to tell stories, listen to the murmurs of the hearts of others, make people happy, believe in goodness and wrap women in fabrics with a talent unlike any other painter.

The exhibition is here to remind all of these, but also to tell a new story.

I was blessed to work with Danny Weiss, CEO of Meditech, and Mia Devash, chief curator of the Holon Design Museum, who believed in the project from the first moment, and made a tremendous effort without compromising on the vision and creative flight.

The sun of Albez

I first met Alvar in person when I was working on the curation of the exhibition "Ze Tem, Ronit Alkabatz".

Albert generously offered his help with the exhibition.

I was living in New York at the time and we arranged to meet at a restaurant.

My heart was beating strongly, it is impossible to prepare for a personal meeting with a legend.

And suddenly he sits next to me, talks to me, shares his thoughts.

Fearing that out of excitement I wouldn't remember everything he said and fearing that my hand would shake when I wrote, I asked for permission to record the conversation and Alvar agreed.

Alvar was Ronit's friend since she modeled for him in Shankar.

He was her favorite designer and she chose to wear his designs in all the highlights - the red carpet, her wedding day, the day she won the Ophir Award for the film "Get", and of course the famous yellow dress with which she opened the Tel Aviv Fashion Week in November 2015. A dress that is built as a complete yellow circle , which Albert designed inspired by the sun of Israel.

A conversation that turned out to be prophetic.

Kidar with Elbaz in New York, 2017 // Photo: Shlomi Elkebats,

He came to the meeting prepared with a book documenting the storefronts he designed for the Lanvin house - a central and important stop in his career and the place where he established his name and abilities.

Albert sketched examples, asked questions and came up with ideas.

His interest and help did not end at the meeting.

Until the opening of the exhibition, make sure to meet with me every few months, call from time to time, ask how the exhibition is progressing and offer help.

After the opening of the "Ze Tem" exhibition, he came to visit it unexpectedly, without any warning or coordination, with his characteristic modesty.

Together with his sister and niece he wandered among the dresses he knew well, and at the end of the visit he left a captivating illustration in the visitors' book in his famous handwriting: Ronit Lev Alvar.

The untold story

In April 2021 came the shocking news of Albert's untimely death.

The world was saddened by the passing of a tremendous talent and a beloved person and an extraordinary personality.

The love for Alber sought a way to express itself and five months after his death, on October 5, 2021, a wonderful fashion show was launched that was initiated by his partner Alex Ko with Alber's brand AZ Factory.

The tribute show brought together 46 of the best designers in the world to honor his work and express the immense love for the man who made a real revolution in the world of fashion.

Each and every one of the designers presented a clothing system inspired by him, which echoed the mantra that accompanied him throughout his life and which begins with a sentence his mother used to tell him: "Love brings love."

From the exhibition // Photo: Elad Sharig,

The moment when the exhibition was born taught me about the power of a dream.

Mia Devash, the chief curator of the Holon Design Museum, invited me for a third collaboration.

The creative collaboration between us began with the exhibition on Ronit Alkabatz, and from there we continued together to the next dream with the "Hanshef" exhibition.

The idea for an exhibition about Alvar had already come up in conversations between us, but each time there was a feeling that the time had not yet come.

We were in the middle of developing an idea for an exhibition that dealt with a completely different topic - the future of fashion.

In the middle of working on the new exhibition, the phone rang.

On the line was Shelly Wertheim, Alber Mashenkar's teacher and who accompanied him for 20 years on his professional path.

Shelly suggested a friend between me and Alex, and at that moment I knew that the next exhibition would not be about the future - but about Alber Elbaz.

The future is already here.

Inspiration and company.

Ronit Elkebats wears the sun dress by Elbaz for Beit Lanvin, 2008 // Photo: Gil Hayon,

Shelly Wertheim accompanied me as a consultant in the creation of the exhibition, and the conversations with her, and her wise insights, and later with Alex, Albert's family members, girlfriends, friends and colleagues opened a window to his world.

A world where humor, sensitivity, talent and love weave a life story.

This was the beginning of a deep, crazy and inspiring journey into which I plunged in the last year and during which I better understood the genius man and his work.

I realized that here was an opportunity to tell Alber's story for the first time as it has never been told before.

What was initially supposed to be a traveling exhibition, which would bring to Israel for the first time tribute models of more than 40 super brands such as Balenciaga, Gucci, Dior and Hermès, turned into something bigger - the "Dream Factory" - a whole exhibition that aims to celebrate his life and the change he created in the world

Little by little, a new, original, large exhibition was created, which for the first time presents Alber's story and his complete character, and continues to spread his charm, wisdom, generosity and talent.

Color changes lives

Alvar was marked as a star from the first moment in Shankar.

His projects were innovative and ahead of their time.

His personality swept everyone away, from teachers to students, and of course supermodels like Ronit Elkabats, Tami Ben-Ami and Michaela Barko, who agreed to model for the talented student.

In 1986, right after he finished his studies, he traveled alone to New York with 800 dollars in his pocket that his mother Alegria gave him.

He began his journey with an anonymous brand for evening dresses, which did not meet the expectations he had of the fashion world of New York.

After persistent efforts he obtained an interview with Jeffrey Bean, the designer he admired and was the object of his ambitions.

From the morning of the interview, Elbaz became close to us and for seven years learned from one of the greatest designers of the 20th century.

Elbaz's mother used to tell him that "love brings love".

From the exhibition // Photo: Elad Sharig,

In 1996, the president of the Guy LaRoche fashion house, Ralph Toledano, examined hundreds of resumes in order to choose a new artistic director for the brand.

His attention was drawn to Albert's biography, which was printed on red paper.

The energetic young designer stunned him when he showed up for an interview wearing a red suit and Toledano bet on him on the spot.

The (very) red entrance to the exhibition is a tribute to the place of the color red in Albert's life.

A color that changes lives, the color of love, a color of true passion for life and profession.

In every collection he created there was a red dress that attracted attention.

From Guy LaRoche, Albert went on to one of the highest peaks of the fashion world: the first designer to succeed the legendary super designer Yves Saint Laurent.

An unprecedented achievement.

After three seasons, the Gucci group bought the fashion house, Albert was fired and, according to him, he felt "homeless".

A year later another breakthrough came: Albert was appointed the creative director of Lanvin House - the oldest French fashion house in the world.

The Lanvin house was then in a continuous process of decline and Albert "awakened the sleeping beauty".

The awakening swept the world.

Albert introduced an innovative language that shook fashion and changed it forever: he added lightness, freedom of movement, invented new, soft, enveloping, floating silhouettes, exposed zippers and left loose edges.

He used to say that perfection scares him: "I don't like perfection -- I think it's dangerous."

After perfection there is nothing.'

He asked to wrap women using the cloth.

Instead of changing them - give them confidence and strength.

Draw uniforms for policewomen and doctors.

Elbaz, 6, in Holon // Photo: Courtesy of the family,

During 14 years at Beit Lanvin, Alvar achieved unprecedented achievements: he received the Legion of Honor twice, was chosen as one of the 100 most influential people by Time magazine, and won the fashion "Superstar" award.

He became the favorite designer of the big stars - Beyoncé, Rihanna, and Meryl Streep - and dressed them all.

Then, in 2015, Beit Lanvin's meteoric success ended abruptly with his high-profile firing, and Albert went on a four-year hiatus.

The smart and witty Alvar, quick-thinking and devoted to honesty, spoke about Ronit Alkavetz and told how he felt about the creation of the exhibition about her, which was then in its early stages.

In retrospect, his words took on a whole new meaning, "Some people finish some role in life and that's it, they go on to other roles.

So it's not death.

What's more important to me than anything else is that we don't feel death at the exhibition.

Not a retrospective, meaning it began and ended, and not death.

Spirit yes.

Spirit yes.

I don't know what and how but I feel a spirit.

And literal spirit"

For four years Alber traveled the world, met people and gave lectures and master classes to students all over the world and also in the place where he started his journey - Shankar.

He shared his experience, listened to the ideas and thoughts of the students and wondered - where is the world going?

He told them openly about painful lessons and starting over.

He openly told how for a period he was unable to paint, only to write: "For the first two months it rained heavily in Paris, and I walked and walked and walked. When I touched my face I didn't know if it was the rain or my tears."

For a lecture in front of 800 students in New York, he handed out tissue paper and chocolate to the audience: to wipe the tears and sweeten the moment.

Alber's story is also a story about how we can grow from a crisis.

After a four-year hiatus, he launched his revolutionary fashion house AZ Factory.

Alber wanted to examine the future of fashion, out of respect for history, but in combination with innovative technology, sustainability and adaptability to a variety of body structures.

The first, and unfortunately the last, collection he designed for the brand is presented in its prime at the exhibition.

Far from the prom worlds

The exhibition offers a unique perspective to Alber's life story.

Meetings I held with the family and treasures I discovered during an endless dive into archival materials, articles, hours of lectures and master classes enabled a close and unmediated glimpse into the human being.

Generosity runs in the family and those who surrounded Albert from his childhood - his sisters and nephews - despite the deep pain and unrelenting longing, wrapped me in the warmth and richness of moving and funny stories.

I received from them press clippings that were religiously collected, objects and items that told stories and finally became part of the exhibition.

With the blessing of the family members, the items are revealed here for the first time.

From a tribute to Albert Albez, Com de Gerson,

The project started about a year ago, and I approached the creation of the exhibition knowing that I had a huge challenge ahead of me.

Alvar was an international superstar, but he kept his privacy during his visits to Israel and to many his story is not as well known as the story of Ronit Alkabatz for example.

The models he presented to AZ Factory, the brand he founded last year, represent a new femininity: practical, everyday, far from the worlds of prom.

And a lot of questions also arose: what would Albert think?

What would he say if he saw?

How is it even possible to present his complex, exciting, inspiring life story?

Alber saw fashion as much more than fashion, he saw it as a dialogue: a language to talk to people, those who are between the front and the back of the garment.

From a tribute to Alvar Elbaz, Victor and Rolf,

I wanted the exhibition to adopt his concept and I realized that I had to have someone with me who knew Alber's language, in order to create a design dialogue in the exhibition.

After the concept was ready and the research and curation work was completed, I was joined by Katie Rees the creative director.

Rhys worked alongside Albert for 15 years - from the design of his collections, the creation of his books and exhibitions to the design of the famous Lanvin storefronts, which became famous for their creative and wild spirit.

Katie, "Albert's eyes and ears" as Alex calls her, breathed life into the various fashion stories created at the exhibition.

From a tribute to Alvar Elbaz, Dries van Noten,

When I reassembled the last collection that Alber designed for AZ Factory, I set it up as a journey between the stations of his life.

Katie watched them and with a wave of her magic wand turned Holon into a pajama party and Paris into a high fashion show that doesn't hesitate to break conventions.

Alber's concept is present throughout that women should not adapt themselves to fashion, but fashion should adapt itself to women.

And so we continued our dialogue: every corner of the exhibition is part of a treasured mosaic that tells Alber's story, and for each corner Katie has created her own world, full of life, happiness and joy that invite the audience to celebrate Alber's life.

Alber's story is also a story about how we can grow from a crisis.

After a four-year hiatus, he launched his revolutionary fashion house AZ Factory.

Alber wanted to examine the future of fashion, out of respect for history, but in combination with innovative technology, sustainability and adaptability to a variety of body structures.

The first, and unfortunately the last, collection he designed for the brand is presented in its prime at the exhibition

During the work on the exhibition, in a random search on the computer, I found the recording of the conversation from my first meeting with Albert in New York.

Exactly five years have passed since the conversation and the decision to record turned out to be prophetic.

The smart and witty Alvar, quick-thinking and devoted to honesty, spoke about Ronit Alkavetz and told how he felt about the creation of the exhibition about her, which was then in its early stages.

In retrospect, his words took on a whole new meaning, "Some people finish some role in life and that's it, they go on to other roles.

So it's not death.

What's more important to me than anything else is that we don't feel death at the exhibition.

Not a retrospective, meaning it began and ended, and not death.

Spirit yes.

Spirit yes.

I don't know what and how but I feel a spirit.

And spirit literally.'

The Oscar dress worn by Meryl Streep designed by Elbaz, from the exhibition // Photo: Elad Sharig,

In the center of the gallery showing the tribute display in the exhibition, stands a white replica made by Bruno Cialli of the sun dress designed by Alber for Ronit Alkabatz.

The dress flutters in the air lightly, revealing and hiding a portrait of Albert in black and white, the blowing wind breathes life into it.

Love brings love.

If at the beginning I asked myself if he would approve?

Love?

What would he think?

All I have left is to regret that he himself cannot be present at the exhibition which is all love for the creator and the person he was, and which also represents his will for the future.

Yara Kidar is a fashion historian and curator, a doctoral student in the cultural studies program at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

Kidder graduated with honors from a master's degree in the fashion research program at New York University, and is an honors graduate of fashion design studies at Shankar.

In 2021 she curated the exhibition "The Ball: Fashion and Escapism", which broke the visitor record in the museum's history;

In 2020 she curated "Rediscover New York Fashion" at the ZAZ10TS gallery in New York;

In 2018, she curated "Ze Tem, Ronit Alkavetz" at the Holon Design Museum.

were we wrong

We will fix it!

If you found an error in the article, we would appreciate it if you shared it with us