RIP Alber Elbaz - 1961-2021

[Valentine27]

 

[perhydrol]

Alber Elbaz Dies at 59

The designer was best known for his spectacular rejuvenation of Lanvin, and his ebullient personality.
By Miles Socha on April 25, 2021

Alber Elbaz, the designer best known for his spectacular rejuvenation of Lanvin from 2001 to 2015, died on Saturday at the American Hospital in Paris. He was 59.

His death was confirmed by Compagnie Financière Richemont, his joint venture partner in AZ Factory, his latest fashion venture.

The cause of death has yet to be communicated.

An ebullient character prized for his couture-like craft, Elbaz took a five-year hiatus after being ousted from Lanvin and just launched AZ Factory, hinged on solutions-driven fashions, entertainment and tech.

While his name was not on the label, the startup was steeped in Elbaz’s personality, humor, and his inimitable flair for soigné fashions.

“I have lost not only a colleague but a beloved friend,” Richemont founder and chairman Johann Rupert said in a statement, expressing his shock and sadness at Elbaz’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,” Rupert said. “He was a man of exceptional warmth and talent, and his singular vision, sense of beauty and empathy leave an indelible impression.

“It was a great privilege watching Alber in his last endeavor as he worked to realize his dream of ‘smart fashion that cares.’ 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,” he added.

Born in Morocco and raised and educated in Israel, the designer moved to New York in the mid-Eighties. After a stint at a bridal firm, he landed at Geoffrey Beene, working as his senior assistant for seven years.

Elbaz came onto the international radar when he was recruited by Ralph Toledano to helm Guy Laroche in Paris in 1996, a stint that won raves, media attention and the job offer of a lifetime: to succeed couture legend Yves Saint Laurent at the helm of Rive Gauche ready-to-wear.

After three seasons, Elbaz was fired in the wake of Gucci Group’s takeover of YSL, with Tom Ford picking up the design reins. Elbaz subsequently did one season with Krizia in Milan before sitting on the sidelines of the business for one year.

He eventually landed at Lanvin in 2001, and Elbaz embraced the coziness of a small, privately held company — and a brand that was under the radar.

Not for long: His elegant, feminine designs and pulse-pounding runway shows, which had a carnival spirit, catapulted Lanvin to become a top Paris fashion house.

His rejuvenation of the brand was built on a woman-first ethos and the cocktail dress, which ranked as one of the most important items of the Aughts, thanks partly to him. “I said, ‘It’s all about zip-in and zip-out,’” he said in an interview in 2014.

“It was just about giving ease to women,” he said of his dresses with industrial zips and raw edges, two of the design signatures he established for Lanvin. Dressy sneakers with grosgrain laces, ballet flats and chunky costume jewelry were among his other hit designs.

During his tenure, he transformed a business largely dependent on men’s wear into a leading designer brand for women, part of the vanguard in Paris that launched an enduring trend of couture-influenced French elegance — and gave the French capital new buzz.

Meryl Streep famously accepted her Oscar for Best Actress in 2012 for “The Iron Lady” wearing a draped, gold lame gown by Elbaz. Other celebrity fans included Demi Moore, Nicole Kidman, Catherine Deneuve, Kate Moss, Uma Thurman, Julianne Moore and Gwyneth Paltrow.

Fond of musings on fashion, Elbaz often returned to the word “desire,” something he felt instinctively when he first visited the archive of the founding couturier, whose dresses from the Thirties are marvels of delicate femininity.

“I said, ‘You know we are going to make collections for women, we are going to actually emphasize the desire, the desire in fashion, the desire in design,’” he said in a 2012 interview. “I was very much into design because I came from the house of Geoffrey Beene, which was all about design, and then we pushed it also to desire, to women, to reality, to be relevant. I think to be relevant is the story of my life.”

While Elbaz always talked a good talk, and was among the most quotable designers in the business, he also trusted his gut.

“I work mostly by intuition. Every time I think too much and try to rationalize every issue, it doesn’t work. I think that intuition is the essence of this métier,” he said in 2014.

He also never dabbled in men’s wear, appointing a deputy, Lucas Ossendrijver, when he was at Lanvin.

“Our job as designers is to listen, to understand. All my career I always worked with women and for women,” he said in 2019.

Indeed, Elbaz thought about women incessantly: their lifestyles, wardrobe needs, emotions. “I’m not here to make one look,” he explained in a 2007 interview. “You have to follow their needs. That’s the whole idea of design.”

Known for draping fabrics directly on the body and using them to their best advantage, Elbaz also frequently emphasized the human hand in fashion by leaving stray threads, a riposte to the flurry of Instagram posts and e-commerce sites that had given fashion a high-tech, impersonal sheen.

After being ousted from Lanvin in October 2015 and before partnering with Richemont, Elbaz busied himself with speaking engagements and small design projects at various price points, including a collaboration with Tod’s on shoes; a Converse sneaker; a limited-edition makeup line with Lancôme; a range of travel bags and accessories with LeSportsac, and a fragrance with French perfumer Frédéric Malle.

He returned to the fashion spotlight last January during couture week in Paris, though he was loathe to call it a comeback. Via a humorous mini movie, he unveiled three “projects,” the first of which — form-fitting dresses dubbed My Body — went on sale immediately on the AZ Factory website, Farfetch.com and Net-a-porter.com, the Richemont-owned e-tailer.

Key elements of the AZ Factory project were cutting-edge “smart” fabrics, a new business model hinged on projects rather than collections, and with storytelling, problem-solving and entertainment embedded in design, distribution and communications.

from wwd.com

 

[YohjiAddict]

Unbelievable and so terribly sad. He was a voice of reason in a world of chaos, he spent all his life working for others and when he finally got the chance to develop his own brand...

RIP dear Alber.

 

[Yohji]

No!

 

[sixtdaily]

How sad! RIP maestro.

 

[gunsnroses]

I’m so heartbroken. I was so excited for his comeback and to see what else he had in store for AZ story. According to Haaretz he died from covid Renowned Israeli-French fashion designer Alber Elbaz dies from COVID-19

 

[depordetioz]

I’m speechless, so unexpected just as he was finding joy again

 

[Benn98]

Omg, my heartbeat seriously increased when I saw the title on New Threads!
It's just such a shock. RIP. I hope he went peacefully.

He leaves behind an impressive legacy though and his tenure will certainly have a place in the annals of fashion history. So many women to this day still dress in his aesthetic.

Fashionista-ta will be heartbroken, I'm sure.

 

[telfeezy]

rest in peace omg

 

[Lola701]

I was literally shocked and teared up when I got the news! This is so shocking!
And yesterday evening I was just looking for some Lanvin dresses from his era...

Alber was really a great, gifted designer. Even if the word genius can be overused sometimes, he truly was one. His ability to make a shift dress recognizable, the finishing of his clothes and the genuine love he had for women was perceptible in his work.

In a time of copycats, he was really a true original and I think it’s rare to have such a designer. And as a man, he was really humble. He had a wonderful career...

It’s so sad to think that there won’t be any anticipation for his next move and I hope that some sort of foundation will be created to carry on his legacy because his body of work is very much exceptional.

 

[annikad]

Shocking to hear... I will always remember his Lanvin creations that were truly fun and elegant. Very sad, 59 is no age. RIP.

 

[Armani]

I was in the middle of talking to a dear friend, got the notification informing me of his passing, and had to stop everything & check this site… rest in beautiful peace, Alber. He was a ray of light amidst much of the darkness the fashion world has to offer. What an unforgettable legacy, ending with the launch of AZ Factory but continuing to live on forever. Still in complete shock…

 

[GreyVetiver]

Way too soon. This really breaks my heart. His early Lanvin collections were the reasons that got me interested in fashion.

 

[THD96]

Rest in peace my dear Albert. So Soon, so suddenly.

His clothes I still cherish, each collections feel like lullabies. Sweet, calming and beautiful. In an era of extravaganza and experimental his clothes standout because it was elegant and glamour and truly feminine. His humble personality and his love for women are so pure that make he so beloved by everyone.

 

[dodencebt]

What?! No! I refuse to believe this, what a shock.

Alber, may you rest in peace. Your work was everything to a generation of fashion lovers, and you will forever remain in our hearts.

 

[mistress_f]

this is so shocking. I didn't even know he was sick, he was posting joyfully on instagram till a while ago. i loved him so much, this is so sad.

 

[bc collector]

As cheesy as this may sound, it's always the best who leave first.
I feel the ever shrinking pool of real couturiers (because this is what Alber was by method, even if he only did RTW - same as Alaia) is becoming like an endangered species of sort, in a world dominated by marketers /designers.
I will miss not only his work, which has already secured a safe position in every fashion museum worth the name, but also his wit and articulate-ness, another rare feature in the puppet-like corporate environment that fashion has become.

 

[[Piece Of Me]]

This is so shocking, I just saw Lucy Liu's Instagram post and thought she was just doing a throwback or something. Never expected to read this news underneath the picture He was such an important and influencal voice in fashion and always seemed like such a normal, down to earth person.

 

[susseinmcswanny]

I can’t even think straight this is the some of worst news that could come right now. So shocking. I was just thinking about how he was one of the few people who could make me feel something in fashion. He was a real couturier with a unique perspective and was always true to himself. And to think he was finally getting his chance to create for himself. His legacy is truly historic and he will never EVER be forgotten. RIP Alber

 

[VogueDisciple93]

This is devastating! We lost a legend. I pray for his family and loved ones. RIP Alber.