The former Lanvin designer has a new deal with Richemont and a new brand.

Talk about come back! ALBER ELBAZ LAUNCHES AZFASHION, LABEL OWNED BY LUXURY CONGLOMERATE RICHEMONT.
The Swiss luxury group, Richemont, announced that it had entered into a partnership with Mr. Elbaz, the former Lanvin designer. The company, AZFashion, promises to have a whole new approach to fashion.

“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.”

Elbaz who arrived in New York in 1984 took a job designing dresses. In 1989 Elbaz met with Gucci’s Dawn Mello, which led to an introduction to Geoffrey Beene. Beene offered him a job and the classic couturier became his mentor. In 1996 Ralph Toledano who was the head of Guy Laroche hired Elbaz. Elbaz presented his first collection the following year. In 1998 Yves Saint Laurent hired Elbaz to design his Rive Gauche women’s collection.  Receiving mixed reviews for his Rive Gauche collections, Elbaz was replaced in 2000 by Tom Ford. The same year he launched a new collection for Krizia.

Elbaz then took a sabbatical travelling through India and the Far East. However, his trip was cut short when he was offered the role of creative director at Lanvin. His first collection in 2002 received critical acclaim as he fused the label’s rich heritage with a unique twist.

In 2005 Elbaz was recognised by the Council of Fashion Designers of America with the International Designer Award. The same year Vogue featured him in a piece featuring seven of fashion’s most innovative designers.

To celebrate Lanvin’s 120th anniversary, Elbaz created two stamp designs for France’s postal service in 2009. The following year he designed a one-off Lanvin collection in collaboration with H&M.

Elbaz’s spring 2010 collection for Lanvin received a great deal of praise. Taking influences from Christian Lacroix, the collection showed brightly coloured short dresses in a couture style that were suitable for the ready-to-wear market.

by Ella C.Ross