1961년 모로코에서 태어난 디자이너 앨버 엘바즈는 10살 되던 해 이스라엘로 이민했다.
이스라엘 텔 아비브(Tel Aviv)에 위치한 센커 패션 스쿨에서 본격적으로 패션을 공부한 그는 스물 다섯이 되던 해 단돈 800달러를 들고 뉴욕으로 향한다.
처음 미국에 도착해 작은 패션 회사에서 근무하던 그는 미학적인 라인에 갈증을 느꼈고, 자신의 포트 폴리오를 당시 구찌의 크리에이티브 디렉터이던 다운 멜로(Dawn Mello)에서 보낸다.
그녀의 소개로 앨버는 1989년부터 7년간 제프리 빈(Geoffrey Beene)에서 일하게 된다.
그때의 경험을 그는 이렇게 말한다.
“제프리 빈은 미국 디자이너로는 처음으로 밀라노에서 컬렉션을 가진 사람이죠. 캐주얼한 아메리칸 패션을 그대로 유럽에 소개하여 호평을 받은 그와 일한 것 자체가 영광이었습니다.”
앨버는 중요한 패션 요소들을 빈에게 배웠다고.
1997년에 기 라로쉐(Guy Laroche)의 스카우트 제의를 받아들여 앨버 엘바즈는 파리로 자신의 베이스를 옮기게 된다.
기 라로쉐은 그때까지 보수적인 프랑스 패션 하우스의 성향을 고수하고 있었는데, 앨버 엘바즈는 여기에 미학적인 부분을 더해 이 브랜드의 엘레강스함을 업데이트 시키는데 성공했다.
1998년에는 이브 생 로랑으로 자리를 옮겼는데, 얼마 있지 않아 YSL 리브 고쉬(YSL Rive Gauche)가 구찌 패션 하우스에 팔리면서 톰 포드가 그의 자리를 대신하게 된다.
그러던 중 2001년 앨버 엘바즈는 랑방의 크리에이티브 디렉터로 임명되게 되고 2002 F/W 시즌 첫 컬렉션을 선보인다.
이후 앨버는 승승장구하게 되는데, 빈의 영향을 받은 그는 심플하고 웨어러블하면서도 여성스러운 꾸뛰르 감각을 놓치지 않는 디자이너로 평가받고 있다.
또한 그의 디자인 성향은 1920년대 랑방이 보여주었던 스포티 캐주얼과 닮아있는 것이어서 패션 하우스의 전통을 잘 살린다는 찬사를 받기도 한다.
출처 www.vogue.com
Alber Elbaz
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Alber Elbaz (born 1961) is a Moroccan-born Israeli fashion designer.
Elbaz has worked for the Paris fashion house Lanvin since 2001.
Biography
Alberto Elbaz was born in June 12th 1961 Casablanca, Morocco.
He immigrated to Israel with his family at the age of eight months and grew up in Holon.
After serving in the Israeli Defense Forces, he studied at the Shenkar College of Engineering and Design in Ramat Gan.
His life partner is Alex Koo, Lanvin's director of marketing.
Fashion career
Lanvin store, Monte Carlo
In 1985, Elbaz moved to New York City and spent two years working for a manufacturer of mother-of-the-bride clothing.
He then worked for Geoffrey Beene for seven years.
He says he was influenced by Beene's rejection of trends and masterful drape and fit.
"It was a very beautiful relationship.... Our best dialogue was not in words," Elbaz has reminisced.
In 1997, Elbaz left Beene and, through retailer Dawn Mello, was hired by the firm of Guy Laroche.
But, by the time of Elbaz's arrival, the Laroche enterprise had become overly conservative and lackluster.
Even so, Elbaz was able to update the collection and somewhat enhance the image of the firm, whose activities at the time included the management of 15 boutiques and 70 license agreements worldwide.
However, he departed within a year, 1998, and began designing ready-to-wear women's clothing for Yves Saint Laurent, because Saint-Laurent himself wished to withdraw from his hands-on design of prêt-à-porter (ready-to-wear).
In the position, Elbaz's talent was recognized, and he was groomed to become the head designer of the house when Saint Laurent retired.
This was not to happen, because the Gucci Group purchased YSL Rive Gauche, the ready-to-wear label, and, hence, Gucci design director Tom Ford dismissed Elbaz after three collections.
Elbaz instead began working for Krizia in Italy and designed a well-received inaugural collection.
Art and graphics
In October 2001, Elbaz was appointed artistic director of Lanvin in Paris.
In August 2001, the company was purchased by investor group Harmonie S.A., led by Shaw-Lan Wang, a Taiwanese media magnate, who hired Elbaz.
In 2006, he introduced new packaging for the fashion house, featuring a light forget-me-not blue color, a favorite shade which Lanvin purportedly had seen in a Fra Angelico fresco.
Packaging included shopping bags imprinted with Paul Iribe's 1907 illustration of Lanvin and her daughter Marguerite, and shoe boxes designed like antique library files, tied with black ribbons to emphasize the precious nature of the product.
Elbaz illustrated the song "Lady Jane" in singer-songwriter Mika's extended play "Songs for Sorrow."
In 2012, Elbaz published a book of 3,000 photographs documenting the work of Lanvin.
Awards and recognition
International Award, Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA), June 2005
Chevalier of the Légion d'Honneur, Paris, January 25, 2007
One of Time magazine's 100 Most Influential People in the World, 2007
Elbaz's simple, feminine clothing, which has been compared to Lanvin's 1920s outfits, has been lauded by the fashion press. Suzy Menkes wrote:
"Elbaz is every woman's darling. And that includes Nicole, Kate, Chloë Sevigny, Sofia Coppola and a slew of rising movie names."
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