Time.news – The fame of Alber Elbaz, the Franco-Israeli-American designer who died in a hospital in Paris 3 weeks after testing positive for Covid-19, mainly derives from his experience in two of the most famous and historic Parisian institutions in the fashion world.
In the 90s, after a period with Guy Laroche, he was called by Pierre Bergé to the artistic direction of Yves Saint-Laurent, where he remained until the Parisian maison joined the Gucci group; but its name is mainly related to the Lanvin brand.
In the oldest French fashion house still in business (it was founded in 1889 by the designer Jeanne Lanvin in Rue du Faubourg de Saint Honoré in Paris, where it is still located), the designer, born in Casablanca in Morocco and raised in Tel Aviv where he started its activity in the 80s, it spent the first 15 years of the millennium. Before being dismissed for “disagreements” with the main shareholder, the Taiwanese Shaw-Lan Wang, Elbez was the architect of a relaunch of the brand, and the consequent significant increase in its turnover.
To go beyond its most famous product, the legendary Arpège perfume created in 1927, 6 years after its rival and equally legendary Chanel n.5, Elbez renews the maison and increases its sales points; in 2010 he designed two Valentine’s Day stamps signed Lanvin and Poste and creates a small collection for the Swedish store chain H&M; in 2015, the year she left the fashion house, she organized an exhibition at the Maison Européenne de la photographie with 300 images of her creations, a sort of manifesto on the relationship between stylistic creation and the body.
Shortly before leaving the maison, in the same 2015, he was nominated for the Crystal Globe as the best fashion designer. After a “sabbatical”, he had been associated with the Swiss luxury group Richemont since 2019. “I have lost not only a colleague, but also a close friend,” wrote Richemont founder and president Johann Rupert, breaking the news.
“Alber had a well-deserved reputation as one of the brightest and most beloved figures in the industry. I have always been captivated by his intelligence, sensitivity, generosity and limitless creativity – he noted – He was a man of exceptional warmth and talent. His inclusive vision of fashion made women feel beautiful and at ease ”.
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