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He died on visionary Alber Elbaz, but who was he? The Israeli designer died in Paris where he had moved in the late nineties. His business partner Johann Rupert confirmed that the designer was ill with COVID-19. Albert Elbaz was 59 and was the former creative director of Lanvin.
Who was Albert Elbaz
Albert Elbaz passed away in Paris. The designer was born in Morocco in 1961, then moved to Israel with his family at the age of 10. The young Albert began to work actively in the fashion field in New York, from there he never stopped. Before becoming a very popular and highly regarded figure in the fashion field, Albert Elbaz had studied at the Shenkar College of Engineering and Design in Israel.
He moved to the Big Apple in the late 1980s and began collaborating with the American designer Geoffrey Been for 7 years. In 1997 he moved to Paris where he took over the artistic direction of the Guy Laroch brand.
After his tenure with Guy Laroch, Alber became artistic director for Yves Saint Laurent’s Rive Gauche label. He was then fired from the French fashion house and, for this reason, he arrived in Krizia where he worked for only one year. In 2001, the real turning point came for Alber Elbez: Lanvin hired him as his creative director.
The relaunch of the Parisian brand Lanvin
Alber Elbaz profoundly renewed the Lanvin company. The designer with avant-garde ideas relaunched the old fashion company thanks to the transformations he had conceived for a new route of the fashion house. In fact, in 14 years the Israeli designer revolutionized the French label, transforming it from a small family business founded by Jeanne Lanvin in 1889 to one of the most popular Parisian brands. Alber Elbaz in this new adventure decided to focus on the cocktail dress, designed for an elegant and sophisticated woman. In 2016 the designer received the Legion of Honor French.
The last few years alongside partner Johann Rupert
Alber was famous not only for outlining Lanvin’s style but also for his personal style. The designer often appeared in a jacket with a large bow tie and wore some thick-rimmed eyeglasses. In January he presented the first collection of AZ Factory, a new fashion brand he founded together with Johann Rupert. Just Johann Rupert, the president of Richemont, released statements in which he reiterated his affectionate bond with the Israeli designer, For him, Alber has not only revealed himself to be a partner in work but also a life friend. Johann Rupert never doubted Alber Elbez’s talent and he has always appreciated its creative genius. International stars dressed as Alber Elbez include Kate Moss, Nicole Kidman, Demi Moore and Catherine Deneuve.
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