The founder of BCBG Max Azria and former CFDA member died on Monday of lung cancer.
Max Azria, the founder of BCBG Max Azria and one-time owner of the Herve Leger brand, died on Monday in a Houston hospital, according to WWD. The cause of death was lung cancer. Azria was 70.
The Tunisia-born, Paris-raised designer played an instrumental role in creating the contemporary category.
Azria moved to the U.S. in 1981, after designing a women’s wear collection in Paris for 11 years. He first launched a new concept retail chain called Jess, then launched BCBGMAXAZRIA merging European sophistication with an American spirit. BCBG stands for “Bon Chic Bon Genre” as in the French way to describe the stylish youth of Paris, and the brand set the template for a younger, trend-driven fashion tier that differentiated itself in feel and cut from the bridge category in department stores. With his wife, Lubov, they expanded the brand and added the Hervé Léger by Max Azria to the fold.
When the BCBG Max Azria Group went into bankruptcy and was sold in 2017, Azria left the fashion industry and became CEO of ZappLight and its parent company Clean Concept LLC as CEO and partner. ZappLight is an LED light bulb and bug zapper.
