Alber Elbaz.Photo: ETIENNE LAURENT/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
Alber Elbaz, the Israeli fashion designer who was best known for his rejuvenation of French fashion house Lanvin, has died. He was 59.
“On a personal note I would like to add that I have lost not only a colleague but a beloved friend,” Rupert said. “Rest in peace Alber.”
Stella McCartney was among several stars to pay tribute to Elbaz on Instagram. “I interupt our Greenpeace pledge to pay the greatest of respects to my dear friend, Alber,” said McCartney. “He was a light like no other in the world. In fashion, his immense talent shone so bright that it tore up the conventions and wrapped a million souls in happiness when they wore his creations.”
“I will miss you sir very, very much. We all will.” she added. “My love is being sent to your beloved family as they try to come to terms with such an immense loss. Thank you for making this world a better and brighter place… I love you. x.”
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Elbaz was the assistant designer to Geoffrey Beene in New York before moving to Paris in 1997 to become the head of prêt-à-porter design at Guy Laroche, which put him on the map in the fashion world, according to theTimes.
Alber Elbaz.David Fisher/Shutterstock
Elbaz was eventually ousted from Lanvin in October 2015 and later partnered with Richemont to launch his new brand, AZ Factory. There, he created cutting-edge “smart” fabrics for women to wear more accessibly.
“I asked myself, ‘If I was a woman, what would I want?’ " Elbaz told theTimesearlier this year. “Something that is first comfortable. Something fun. Something that lets me eat a big piece of cake.”
Elbaz’s most recent public appearance was in January during couture week in Paris. He unveiled several new projects at the show, including formfitting dresses called My Body.
source: people.com
