Appointed as creative director of the house of Lanvin in 2001, Alber Elbaz has remained a constant at his designated “house” as we’ve seen other designer labels play the game of musical chairs with their creative directors. As a steady figure, he positioned Lanvin to become one of the most coveted labels in the industry.
Tonight, Elbaz will celebrate ten years with a party that will take place after the Lanvin show at Halle Freyssinet. To say “Elbaz will celebrate” may be a misstatement as the man himself, true to his personality, is not one for tooting his own horn. He is constantly looking for ways to become better in his role and isn’t the type to become too comfortable. Sounds like the ideal candidate for any role.
One of the reasons he is so adored by dedicated fans worldwide may be his “it’s never enough” demeanor and endearing tendency to reveal his self-doubt.
Ten years is truly a feat worth celebrating; but can we talk about the Lanvin business in numbers? Business is good. Two major successes last year include a 24 percent increase in sales and a collaboration with H&M that caused madness at the storefronts of participating stores hours before opening time.
An additional celebration is scheduled for April 26 in Beijing where Lanvin will showcase recent women’s and men’s collections in one huge, all-encompassing fashion show.
The Morocco-born, Israeli-bred designer moved to New York at the age of 26 and soon began working for Geoffrey Beene. In 1996 he was hired as the creative director of Guy Laroche and two years later he left for Yves Saint Laurent to design women’s ready-to-wear. After being fired from YSL three seasons later, he spent a season at Krizia in Italy and then took a one year leave from the fashion industry before he found his home at Lanvin in 2001.
A well-respected journey of a man who sets the standard for tenure in the fashion industry. His connection with women is evident in words and seen in his designs:
“I think that I was very alert to women, and I am seeing more and more that women are changing. Their lifestyle is becoming more and more difficult on a daily basis. So I was trying always to simplify their life…Women need something a little bit more easy in their wardrobe, instead of thinking every morning what goes with what, they just zip it in and at night zip it out. This is how I kind of evolve. I am thinking of something and, boom, I start to work around it.”
In a conversation with WWD‘s European editor, Miles Socha, “Elbaz Reflects On a Decade at Lanvin.” Read the full interview here.
