To know Alber Elbaz – even just to have an exchange that lasted all but a few seconds – granted one entry into a rarefied world of fashion magic, dreams and desire, the quintessence of chic, and a deep respect for women. To quote the beloved designer, who passed away in Paris from Covid-19 last Saturday, “I love to dress women so men can fall in love with them. I prefer to dress women so they can fall in love with themselves.”
In a few words, the Moroccan-born Israeli designer was able to conjure a sense, a sensibility, a scent, a taste of how fashion plays a powerful role in life. And he did it with an innate kindness that make it impossible not to be smitten.
Elbaz, who won CFDA’s International Award in 2005, started his career on Seventh Avenue – “New York was the one place that actually embraced me without a resume” – as a design assistant at Geoffrey Beene. He moved to Paris, where he made his mark at Guy Laroche and Yves Saint Laurent. But it was at Lanvin, the revered but dusty French couture house, that he was able to redefine fashion and crystallize his vision of chic. When he mused on fashion philosophy, the references were a mix of fantasy of reality—anecdotes of a woman’s moment in life, perhaps a love story, or fashion as perfect as a whipped French dessert.
“I love dolls and I admire women, but I don’t like women that look like dolls,” he said.
After a five-year hiatus, he only recently returned with his AZ Factory line in partnership with Richemont.
He was a designer with the sartorial needs of women at the core of his ethos, and at the same time, Elbaz was a designer’s designer, much-loved by the global fashion community.
Vera Wang called him “a true creator, one of fashion’s true originals, both beloved and respected…To know Alber was to experience his loyalty, humility, work ethic, humor, and enormous charm.”
To Michael Kors, he was “a rare human being—brilliantly talented, charming, compassionate, and a true original.”
Donna Karan remembered his “passion for fashion, his creativity, his wit, his love for all—you just wanted to snuggle him and talk forever.”
Thank you for the fashion magic, Alber.
