PARIS 鈥� Israeli designer Alber Elbaz, best known for spending 14 years at the helm of France's Lanvin fashion house, has died at 59, the luxury conglomerate Richemont said Sunday.
A spokesperson for Richemont told CNN that Elbaz died Saturday from COVID-19.
In a statement, Richemont's chairman Johann Rupert said 鈥渋t was with shock and enormous sadness that I heard of Alber鈥檚 sudden passing. Alber had a richly deserved reputation as one of the industry鈥檚 brightest and most beloved figures.
"I was always taken by his intelligence, sensitivity, generosity and unbridled creativity. He was a man of exceptional warmth and talent, and his singular vision, sense of beauty and empathy leave an indelible impression," Rupert said.
The Richemont group paid tribute to Elbaz's 鈥渋nclusive vision of fashion鈥� that 鈥渕ade women feel beautiful and comfortable by blending traditional craftsmanship with technology.鈥�
Elbaz started to work in collaboration with Richemont in 2019 with the aim of launching his own label, AZfashion.
Born in Morocco in 1961, Elbaz grew up in Israel before moving to New York in the 1980s.
He first became known to the public when he was named to lead the French house Guy Laroche in Paris in 1996. In 1998, he became creative director at Yves Saint Laurent. He was credited with reviving Lanvin during his long stint there from 2001 to 2015.
Women鈥檚 Wear Daily said he died at a Paris hospital.
Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo tweeted her 鈥済reat sadness鈥� at the news, saying Elbaz was 鈥渁 talented, generous man. He loved Paris so much and will be missed.鈥�
The Associated Press
