17 Facts About Alber Elbaz

Alber Elbaz was the creative director of Lanvin in Paris from 2001 until 2015, after having done stints at a number of other fashion houses, including Geoffrey Beene, Guy Laroche, and Yves Saint Laurent.

Alber Elbaz founded the Richemont-backed label AZ Factory in 2019.

Alber Elbaz's mother, Algeria, was a painter and his father, Meyer, a hairdresser.

Alber Elbaz's family immigrated to Israel when Elbaz was eight months old and he grew up in the city of Holon.

Alber Elbaz later enlisted and served as a soldier in the Israel Defense Forces, and subsequently studied at the Shenkar College of Engineering and Design in Ramat Gan, Israel.

Alber Elbaz's mother encouraged Elbaz's early interest in fashion, as he had begun drawing dresses at seven years old, and gave him $800 when he left home for New York City in 1985 to pursue fashion professionally.

From 1996 until 1998, Alber Elbaz worked for the French house of Guy Laroche as head of pret-a-porter, moving to Paris in 1997 and drawing favorable notice in the fashion press.

Alber Elbaz held a minority stake in the company of nearly 18 percent.

Notably, for his fall collection in 2012, the house's 10th anniversary, Alber Elbaz chose ordinary people to feature in Lanvin's promotional campaign, including an 18-year-old musician and an 82-year-old retiree.

In October 2015, Alber Elbaz announced that he had been let go from Lanvin after disagreements with the company's major shareholder, Shaw-Lan Wang.

Alber Elbaz complained about the lack of strategy and targeted investment of the company.

Shortly before he was fired, Alber Elbaz had hired Chemena Kamali from Chloe as women's design director.

Alber Elbaz collaborated in 2019 with Italian shoemaker Tod's, creating bags and loafers.

In 2006, Alber Elbaz introduced new packaging for Lanvin, featuring a light forget-me-not blue color, a favorite shade which Lanvin purportedly had seen in a Fra Angelico fresco.

Alber Elbaz illustrated the song "Lady Jane" in singer-songwriter Mika's extended play Songs for Sorrow.

Alber Elbaz often spoke of being overweight and how it influenced his designs.

Alber Elbaz died of COVID-19 on 24 April 2021 at the American Hospital in Neuilly-sur-Seine in suburban Paris, France.