In this file photo taken on October 08, 2006 Casablanca-born designer Alber Elbaz for Lanvin acknowledges the public at the end of his Spring/Summer 2007 ready-to-wear collection show in Paris. (Photo: PIERRE VERDY, AFP via Getty Images)
PARIS — Israeli designer Alber Elbaz, best known for spending 14 years at the helm of France’s Lanvin fashion house, has died at 59, the luxury conglomerate Richemont said Sunday.
A spokesperson for Richemont told CNN and The New York Times that Elbaz died Saturday from COVID-19.
In a statement, Richemont’s chairman Johann Rupert said “it was with shock and enormous sadness that I heard of Alber’s sudden passing. Alber had a richly deserved reputation as one of the industry’s brightest and most beloved figures.
“I was always taken by his intelligence, sensitivity, generosity and unbridled creativity. He was a man of exceptional warmth and talent, and his singular vision, sense of beauty and empathy leave an indelible impression,” Rupert said.
Meryl Streep and designer Alber Elbaz attend the 2015 Fashion Group International's Night of Stars at Cipriani Wall Street on October 22, 2015 in New York City. (Photo: Jim Spellman)
The Richemont group paid tribute to Elbaz’s “inclusive vision of fashion” that “made women feel beautiful and comfortable by blending traditional craftsmanship with technology.”
Elbaz started to work in collaboration with Richemont in 2019 with the aim of launching his own label, AZfashion.
Born in Morocco in 1961, Elbaz grew up in Israel before moving to New York in the 1980s.
He first became known to the public when he was named to lead the French house Guy Laroche in Paris in 1996. In 1998, he became creative director at Yves Saint Laurent. He was credited with reviving Lanvin during his long stint there from 2001 to 2015.
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Women’s Wear Daily said he died at a Paris hospital.
Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo tweeted her “great sadness” at the news, saying Elbaz was “a talented, generous man. He loved Paris so much and will be missed.”
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