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. Women’s Wear Daily said he died at a Paris hospital.
In a statement, Richemont chairman Johann Rupert said “it was with shock and enormous sadness that I heard of Alber’s sudden passing. Alber had a richly deserved reputation as one of the industry’s brightest and most beloved figures.
Alber Elbaz
Image Credit: AFP
“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.