Alber Elbaz, Fashion Designer, Dies - The New York Times

The chairman of the company that backed his latest venture called the designer “one of the industry’s brightest and most beloved figures.”

Alber Elbaz, a Moroccan-born Israeli fashion designer who rejuvenated Lanvin and had recently launched his own venture, AZ Factory, died on Saturday in Paris.

Richemont, the company backing Mr. Elbaz’s project, confirmed the death on Sunday. A spokeswoman for Richemont said the cause was Covid-19.

“Alber had a richly deserved reputation as one of the industry’s brightest and most beloved figures,” Richemont’s chairman, Johann Rupert, said in a statement. “I was always taken by his intelligence, sensitivity, generosity and unbridled creativity.”

“You made us dream, you made us think, and now you fly,” AZ Factory wrote on its website. “Love, trust and respect, always. ❤️ Alber, We Love you Forever.”

Mr. Elbaz had just launched AZ Factory after a five-year hiatus following his abrupt firing from Lanvin, where he had been fashion director from 2001 to 2015.

Starting his new brand, he said, was like giving birth.

“My hormones are burning,” Mr. Elbaz told The New York Times in January. “I’m so itchy. I cry and laugh within seconds.”

Elizabeth Paton contributed reporting.

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