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‘I follow my intuition in everything I do'
Alber Elbaz is the man behind Lanvin, which was founded by Jeanne Lanvin in 1909 and is the longest-standing fashion house to have been established by a woman.
Elbaz (b. 1961) has truly found his niche at Lanvin, but it took him a while to get there: ‘I'm the Elizabeth Taylor of fashion, I've been married (too) often.'
The American-Israeli designer's earliest work experience was as the right-hand man of the American designer Geoffrey Beene. Until he was seduced by Guy Laroche, that is. In 1998 it was Yves Saint Laurent who caught his eye. ‘I couldn't refuse the offer to succeed Saint Laurent as he headed into retirement.' The love affair only lasted for three collections, even though they were well-received. This was followed by a brief flirt with Krizia, but since 2002 things have clicked with Lanvin. As artistic director, Elbaz swiftly put the long-established house back on the fashion radar with collections that were poetic and romantic, but above all forward-looking. The sensitive designs have a great deal to do with his fear of perfection: ‘Perfection would mean the end for me, the end of a dream. Then there would be nothing left to do,' says the modest designer who can count Nicole Kidman, Kate Moss and Sofia Coppola among his fans.
Elbaz graduated from the Shenkar College in Tel Aviv in 1986. In 2005 he won the International Award from the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA).