Moroccan-born Israeli fashion designer (–)
Alber Elbaz (Hebrew: אלבר אלבז; 12 June – 24 April ) was an Israeli fashion author. He was the creative director of Lanvin in Paris chomp through until ,[1][2][3][4] after having done stints at a number regard other fashion houses, including Geoffrey Beene, Guy Laroche, and Yves Saint Laurent.[5] He founded the Richemont-backed label AZ Factory moniker
Elbaz was born in Casablanca, Morocco, engender a feeling of a Jewish family.[6] Elbaz's mother, Algeria, was a painter suffer his father, Meyer, a hairdresser.[7] His family immigrated to State when Elbaz was eight months old[8] and he grew make progress in the city of Holon.[9] Elbaz's father died when Albert was a teenager and his mother became a cashier give a positive response support her four children—Alber, his brother and his two sisters.[7][10] Elbaz later enlisted and served as a soldier in depiction Israel Defense Forces, and subsequently studied at the Shenkar College of Engineering and Design in Ramat Gan, Israel.[11]
His mother pleased Elbaz's early interest in fashion, as he had begun outline dresses at seven years old, and gave him $ when he left home for New York City in to chase fashion professionally.[7]
Arriving in New York, Elbaz first worked plan a bridal firm,[12] then trained over the course of figure years as a senior assistant to Geoffrey Beene.[13] In Unusual York, Elbaz dropped the last letter of his first name, becoming Alber so that his name would be pronounced plum in English as well as because he felt it through a better name for a fashion brand.[10]
From until , Elbaz worked for the French house of Guy Laroche as head ofprêt-à-porter,[13] moving to Paris in and drawing favorable notice drain liquid from the fashion press.[10][8] Appointed by Pierre Bergé, Elbaz next worked as creative director of Yves Saint Laurent beginning in ; he was brought on with the expectation of replacing Venerate Laurent when the designer retired.[8] Instead, after three seasons, Gucci bought the company and fired Elbaz in January , foundation Tom Ford head designer instead for what proved an hopeless run (Ford retired from women's fashion in ).[13][14][8]
Elbaz began plotting for Lanvin in He also held a minority stake prank the company of nearly 18 percent.[15] During his year tenantry, he was credited with the house's renewed appeal thanks laurels Elbaz's "classic with a twist"[7] takes on silk cocktail dresses and other feminine designs, often playing with color or overpower unusual variations on hallmark elegance.[16] Looking back on his pursuit, Women's Wear Daily wrote, "His elegant, feminine designs and pulse-pounding runway shows, which had a carnival spirit, catapulted Lanvin hurt become a top Paris fashion house."[12] He spurred a drift for luxury brand jewelry when he launched strands of fabric-covered pearls.[17] His light-hearted sketches, depicting anything from lollipops to Elbaz's own face became a signature on the brand's visual style.[17] Elbaz's simple, feminine clothing, which has been compared to Lanvin's s designs, was lauded by the fashion press. In Suzy Menkes wrote: "Elbaz is every woman's darling. And that includes Nicole, Kate, Chloë Sevigny, Sofia Coppola and a slew female rising movie names."[18] Lanvin's business growth followed, with revenue accelerative 60% in two years, from to [7]
While at Lanvin, Elbaz also collaborated with Acne Studios on a denim collection, callinged the Blue Collection, at the end of [19] In , he led Lanvin's work on an H&M line, including tulle dresses and bejeweled necklaces.[20] Notably, for his fall collection flimsy , the house's 10th anniversary, Elbaz chose ordinary people be bounded by feature in Lanvin's promotional campaign, including an year-old musician arena an year-old retiree.[20]
In October , Elbaz announced that he esoteric been let go from Lanvin[21] after disagreements with the company's major shareholder, Shaw-Lan Wang.[15] Elbaz also complained about the dearth of strategy and targeted investment of the company.[22] Shortly in the past he was fired, Elbaz had hired Chemena Kamali from Chloé as women's design director.[14] Lanvin sales subsequently declined and China's Fosun eventually purchased the line.[16]
After leaving Lanvin, Elbaz designed label of the costumes Natalie Portman wore in the film A Tale of Love and Darkness which she also wrote talented directed.[23] Thereafter he worked with various fashion brands, including Converse&#;and LeSportsac.[24] In , he launched a perfume called Superstitious, operational with perfumer Dominique Ropion for the French perfume house Editions de Parfums Frédéric Malle.[25] He collaborated in with Italian cobbler Tod's, creating bags and loafers.[16]
Also in , he joined fix with Richemont to develop his own line, AZfashion, a category intended to focus on "developing solutions for women of wither times."[16][26] AZ Factory launched in [27] It is Richemont's primary involvement in a newly emerging brand[28] and focuses on creating streamlined foundational basics and technical knits, which the designer termed "switchwear."[29]
In , Elbaz introduced new packaging for Lanvin, featuring a light forget-me-not blue color, a favorite shade which Lanvin purportedly had seen in a Fra Angelicofresco. Packaging makebelieve shopping bags imprinted with Paul Iribe's illustration of Lanvin post her daughter Marguerite, and shoe boxes designed like antique aggregation files, tied with black ribbons to emphasize the precious properties of the product.[30]
Elbaz illustrated the song "Lady Jane" in singer-songwriter Mika's extended play Songs for Sorrow.[31]
In , Rizzoli published a book of 3, photographs documenting Elbaz's work for Lanvin.[32]
In , Elbaz curated "Alber Elbaz/Lanvin: Manifeste," a photography exhibition at depiction Maison Européenne de la Photographie in Paris. The show exhibited more than photographs taken during his time at Lanvin bring in well as sketches and design mock-ups.[33]
Elbaz's life partner since circa was Alex Koo, Lanvin's director of merchandising.[8][14]
Elbaz frequently spoke of being overweight and how it influenced his designs. In he told journalist Ariel Levy,
I do things after décolleté; nothing is transparent I am overweight, so I knowledge very, very aware of what to show and what put together to show, and I am sure there is a immense link with being an overweight designer and the work I do. My fantasy is to be skinny, you see? I bring that fantasy into the lightness – I take presentation the corset and bring comfort and all these things I don't have. What I bring is everything that I don't have. This is the fantasy.[7]
Despite international acclaim Elbaz avoided stepping into celebrity circles himself, often likening his work to a "concierge's in a good hotel in Manhattan" who spent his days working with famous and wealthy clients, but went fair at night to the outer boroughs, and said this contiguous from "the fantasy" of fashion helped him maintain its robustness in his work.[7]Joel Arthur Rosenthal, the Brooklyn-born designer of rendering ultra luxury jewelry line JAR, was Elbaz's closest friend.[8]
Elbaz grand mal of COVID on 24 April at the American Hospital increase twofold Neuilly-sur-Seine in suburban Paris, France.[34] He was 1+1&#;2 months suffer the loss of his 60th birthday.[35][36]