It is with great shock and sadness that we salute the visionary man that put Lanvin back into the centerstage: the late, great Alber Elbaz
Five months ago, news broke that Mr. Elbaz would step back into the fashion realm, after his leave of absence from Lanvin. His reasoning for stepping out was simple and obviously very personal: he wanted to fall back in love with fashion.
And it seemed that he did. As quickly as he removed himself, he jumped back in, burn out begone. He revealed his plans for a new line, all his own: AZ Factory. In celebration and anticipation of this, our team at Fräulein rounded up our favorite Alber Elbaz moments and collaborations.
Personally, it has been difficult for me to place my finger on what made and will continue to make Alber’s vision so special. Perhaps that’s the appeal. And perhaps, it simply was him. From Creative Direction at Saint Laurent Ready-to-Wear, to lead designer at Lanvin (and a whole bevy of notorious names in his fashion line-up in between), many houses and ateliers clambered for Alber’s finesse. Fabrics dreamt of being played with by him. Royals wore him. So do interns. My first suit jacket was Lanvin. The last Grecian goddess-inspired dress I wore was designed by him, too. Of course they were both in black, and both with an unmistakably chic approach to feminine playfulness; a nod to the uniforms we must wear in our normal lives to take on strong and determined roles, but with enough flirtation involved to have fun in them, to feel pretty.
“Style is the only thing you can’t buy. It’s not in a shopping bag, a label, or a price tag. It’s something reflected from our soul to the outside world—an emotion.”
