AZ Factory reveals elite lineup of designers participating in Alber Elbaz memorial show

By

Godfrey Deeny

Published
Sep 27, 2021

AZ Factory has announced the names of a veritable Gotha of today’s great designers to participate in next week’s memorial show in honor of its founder, the late Alber Elbaz. Among just the Gs - Giambattista Valli, Giorgio Armani and Jean Paul Gaultier, alongside Matthew Williams of Givenchy and Alessandro Michele of Gucci.

From Sarah Burton, Demna Gvasalia and Olivier Rousteing to Riccardo Tisci, Maria Grazia Chiuri and Rei Kawakubo, the stellar names among the 44 underline just how much awe and respect in which Elbaz was held. In a hyper competitive industry, Elbaz was a truly uniquely loved figure.

Add in Jonathan Anderson, Nicolas Ghesquière, Virgil Abloh, Kim Jones, Raf Simons, Ralph Lauren and Rick Owens to the participants, and it makes for a seriously impressive lineup.

Among the international list of participating designers, several sit at the helm of historic houses, while some lead their own eponymous labels, and others are today’s emerging talents.

Each designer will provide a look for the occasion, a bespoke creation inspired by Alber’s legacy or a special take on an iconic silhouette. The show, scheduled for 8 p.m. CET on Tuesday, October 5, will be the final event in Paris Fashion Week. It will be livestreamed on AZFactory.com, on YouTube and on Instagram.

The show’s concept is inspired by Théâtre de la Mode, a 1945 Parisian exhibition which brought together over 60 French couturiers as an expression of creativity, prestige, and solidarity in the wake of World War II.

“Fascinated by this uplifting story, Alber had long dreamt of uniting his wider fashion family for a new, modern iteration of its own. This year, with the help of all those who loved him, AZ Factory will bring Alber’s biggest dream to life,” the house said in a release.

The other designers are as follows: Pieter Mulier, Sarah Burton, Daniel Lee, Charaf Tajer, Gabriela Hearst, Christopher John Rogers, Dries Van Noten, Guo Pei, Nadège Vanhée-Cybulski, Iris Van Herpen, Bruno Sialelli, Rosie Assoulin, Chitose Abe, Anthony Vaccarello, Daniel Roseberry, Simone Rocha, Stella McCartney, Thebe Magugu, Thom Browne, Tomo Koizumi, Pierpaolo Piccioli, Donatella Versace, Guram Gvasalia, Viktor Horsting & Rolf Snoeren, Vivienne Westwood & Andreas Kronthaler, Grace Wales Bonner and Glenn Martens.