10 things I learned from Alber Elbaz
At the end of April, the fashion community was mourning for Alber Elbaz. During my student years at the fashion school, I was fascinated by his draping techniques at Lanvin. In the past couple of years, Elbaz was working on his own clothing line with support from Richemont. Having learned about his death, I binge-watched all the videos I could find on YouTube about him. To my surprise, Elbaz was a great writer and speaker. As they say, a talented person is talented in everything. Here is a list of things I learned from him:
Sewing is a skill that can save your life. The seamstress that I knew said that if you know how to sew you can provide for yourself. During the pandemic, we witnessed communities of designers and seamstresses stepping in and making face masks. In his turn, Elbaz gave an example of a Jewish seamstress, who thanks to her skill, survived the Auschwitz concentration camp. The daughter of this lady gave her mother’s thimble to Elbaz.
Ugly design is ugly design. Alber Elbaz always believed that the clothing should be functional. Lately, we have seen a major shift towards unwearable designs. At the end of the day, clothes have a functional purpose, and if they are practical, they will stay in fashion. The key to longevity is to design beautiful garments.
Women lead the world. The 21st century is for women. Elbaz says that if he shot a James Bond movie, the main character would be a woman named Jane Bond. She would be a successful executive from Silicon Valley, and her age would not be hidden. I think his vision has become reality because there are many movies with strong female characters now. Elbaz said that his job as a designer was to help women. Fashion as a major instrument in women's empowerment should give confidence and serve as modern-day armor.
There is one generation between a CEO and a seamstress. This phrase resonated with me because it is the truth that the daughter of a seamstress can become a CEO. It used to be that if you come from a working-class, there is no way that you could reach higher. But the times have changed, and the next generation is free to choose what to do in life.
The fashion industry needs to slow down. Elbaz calls fashion a dysfunctional family and gives examples in other industries. For instance, musicians take time to write music, and filmmakers take years to produce masterpieces. At the same time, fashion designers have to design 4-8 collections per year. I discussed originality in one of my previous articles, what is really going on in fashion, and why it lacks groundbreaking ideas. Elbaz says that fashion is not only about glamour, but also about workaholics, people who are married to the industry.
One thing that no one can steal from you is knowledge. When Elbaz was dismissed from Lanvin, he was left with nothing. But he had connections, experience, and talent. Being very humble, he says that he is not very talented, but an experienced designer. I believe it is a key to success.
Couturiers turned designers to creative directors to influencers. The role of a designer has changed throughout the years. Elbaz says that the content suffers when designers are “curating, not creating.” The role of a designer is like a fisherman to catch the wind, fish, and generate new ideas. He supports the thought that big boats move slowly.
CEOs are dream makers of creatives. The famous duo like Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Bergé is the best example of this saying. It seems like designers need time to focus on creative work, while their business partners make decisions and guide the brand.
There is a big market beyond millennials. Perhaps Elbaz was advised during his years at Lanvin to design for millennials because now every fashion brand is trying to attract Gen Z. He is right that in addition to 600 million millennials, there are billions of non-millennials. There is always a conversation going on in the industry on how to attract the younger generation while keeping the established market. Oftentimes older generations feel alienated.
Spread the love. This is the universal thought that Elbaz shared about the industry. Everything he did was to make people happy around him. The interviews that I watched with industry professionals shared the same opinion about Elbaz. The community suffered a big loss when the maker of “clothes that hug” passed away.
Alber Elbaz was a prominent figure in the industry with full dedication. One lesson that I can take is to enjoy life more. For creatives, it is important to do something else in addition to their main forte. I didn’t think that I would ever write a blog. I am happy that this is my 10th-anniversary article, I can’t wait to discover more topics and share them with my readers. I want to thank my subscribers for being patient as I am looking for my writing style.
Modeliere