Alber Elbaz Biography – Alber Elbaz Wiki
Alber Elbaz was a fashion designer of Israeli nationality and the founder of Richemont-backed label AZ Factory opened in 2019. From 2001 to 2015, he served as the creative director of Lanvin in Paris. Prior to that, he had also worked with fashion outlets like Guy Laroche, Yves Saint Laurent, and Geoffrey Beene. Initially, Elbaz became a soldier in the Israel Defense Forces and also went to school at the Shenkar College of Engineering and Design in Ramat Gan, Israel. His mother had noticed his love for fashion and therefore asked him to pursue his dream. He gave him $800 for him to go to New York City in 1985 and undertake fashion professionally.
Upon arrival to New York, he worked with a bridal firm as he took seven years to train as a senior assistant to Geoffrey Beene. He joined Guy Laroche in 1996 until 1998 working as head of prêt-à-porter. He then joined Yves Saint Laurent as a creative director but lost his job in 2000 when Gucci bought the company and laid him off. He started designing for Lanvin in 2001 holding a minority stake of about 18%. He worked with Lanvin for 14 years being credited with the renewed appeal. While at Lanvin, he collaborated with Acne Studios on a denim collection, called the Blue Collection, at the end of 2008. In 2010, he led Lanvin’s work on an H&M line, including tulle dresses and bejeweled necklaces. Notably, for his fall collection in 2012, the house’s 10th anniversary, Elbaz chose ordinary people to feature in Lanvin’s promotional campaign, including an 18-year-old musician and an 82-year-old retiree.
In October 2015, he announced that he had been let go from Lanvin after disagreements with the company’s major shareholder, Shaw-Lan Wang. He also complained about the lack of strategy and targeted investment of the company. Shortly before he was fired, Elbaz had hired Chemena Kamali from Chloé as women’s design director. Lanvin sales subsequently declined and China’s Fosun eventually purchased the line. After departing from Lanvin, he designed all of the costumes Natalie Portman wore in the 2016 film A Tale of Love and Darkness which she also wrote and directed. Afterwards, he worked with various fashion brands, including Converse and LeSportsac. In 2016, he launched a perfume called Superstitious, working with perfumer Dominique Ropion for the French perfume house Editions de Parfums Frédéric Malle. He collaborated in 2019 with Italian shoemaker Tod’s, creating bags and loafers. He then collaborated with Richemont to develop his own line, AZfashion, a brand intended to focus on “developing solutions for women of our times” in 2019. The factory, AZ, launched in 2021. The brand focuses on creating streamlined foundational basics and technical knits, which the designer termed “switchwear.”
Elbaz also took part in art and graphics by introducing new packaging for Lanvin, featuring a light forget-me-not blue color, a favorite shade that Lanvin purportedly had seen in a Fra Angelico fresco. Packaging included shopping bags imprinted with Paul Iribe’s 1907 illustration of Lanvin and her daughter Marguerite and shoeboxes designed like antique library files, tied with black ribbons to emphasize the precious nature of the product. He also illustrated the song “Lady Jane” in singer-songwriter Mika’s extended play Songs for Sorrow. In 2012, Rizzoli published a book of 3,000 photographs documenting Elbaz’s work for Lanvin. He curated “Alber Elbaz/Lanvin: Manifeste,” a photography exhibition at the Maison Européenne de la Photographie in Paris. The show exhibited more than 350 photographs taken during his time at Lanvin as well as sketches and design mock-ups in 2015. He was rewarded with many of the fashion industry’s top prizes, including an award named for his old mentor, Geoffrey Beene. In 2016, he was made a member of the French Legion of Honour, the country’s most prestigious award.
Alber Elbaz Age
He was born and named Albert Elbaz on June 12, 1961, in Casablanca, Morocco, and died on April 24, 2021, in Paris, France. He was aged 59.
Alber Elbaz Partner
The late was the life partner of Alex Koo, who is Lanvin’s director of merchandising.
Alber Elbaz Family
He was born to a Sephardic Jewish family. His mother was a painter and his father a hairdresser. He immigrated to Israel with his family at the age of ten and grew up in the city of Holon. Upon the death of his father, his mother became a cashier to support him and his three siblings, a brother, and two sisters.
Alber Elbaz Death
He died of COVID-19 on Saturday, April 24, 2021, in Paris, France, at the age of 59. He is survived by his life partner and family. His death was announced by Johann Rupert who is the spokesperson for Richemont. He said in a statement, “It was with shock and enormous sadness that I heard of Alber’s sudden passing. Alber had a richly deserved reputation as one of the industry’s brightest and most beloved figures. I was always taken by his intelligence, sensitivity, generosity, and unbridled creativity. He was a man of exceptional warmth and talent, and his singular vision, sense of beauty, and empathy leave an indelible impression.”
AZ Factory was financially backed by Richemont and in a statement, Richemont’s chairman, Johann Rupert, said: “His inclusive vision of fashion made women feel beautiful and comfortable by blending traditional craftsmanship with technology – highly innovative projects which sought to redefine the industry.”
Members of the fashion community have paid tribute to him. Dior’s Maria Grazia Chiuri wrote that he was the “first person who made me feel at home in the fashion industry”, Stella McCartney praised a man “like no other in the world” and model Erin O’Connor called him a “fine, kind creative gentleman”.
Kim Kardashian wrote: “Alber dressed me for my first Vogue cover and gifted me with the cover dress to hold on to that memory forever.” Sarah Jessica Parker posted a photo of the keepsakes she received from the designer, saying: “He always left little notes inside parcels … [he was] loved and brought joy to every occasion.”
Alber Elbaz Cause of Death
The cause of his death was COVID-19 .
Alber Elbaz Nationality
He was of Israeli nationality.
Alber Elbaz Instagram
He was on Instagram as @alberelbaz8.
