Alber Elbaz has announced news of his own label, AZfashion, a partnership with luxury conglomerate Richemont, which also owns brands such as Azzedine Alaïa, Cartier and Chloé.
The designer is best known for his work as creative director at Lanvin, a role he held for 14 years before abruptly departing in 2015 under acrimonious circumstances. Much speculation has been made about what Elbaz, a much-loved figure within the industry, might do next, with recurring rumours (entirely unsupported) that he might replace Karl Lagerfeld at Chanel.
Over the past four years, he has remained largely quiet, bar collaborations with Tod’s and Frederic Malle.
“I am very happy to partner with Richemont and to establish my ‘dream factory’, which will focus on developing solutions for women of our times,” Elbaz said. “I am extremely excited to collaborate with good people, talented and smart individuals and look forward to also having a lot of fun with this new adventure.”
Little details have been revealed as to what the brand might involve and there is no news on when we can expect to see Elbaz’s new collection.
“Upon hearing Alber Elbaz describe his vision for fashion and the projects it inspires in him, I was again struck by his creativity and insight,” said Richemont chairman Johann Rupert. “His talent and inventiveness, with his sensitivity towards women and their wellbeing, will be of great value to our Group and its Maisons. We warmly welcome Alber to Richemont and look forward to an exciting partnership.”
From Harper’s Bazaar UK
