The fashion designer Alber Elbaz wanted to answer our questionnaire by video: He was afraid of Corona and did not want to take any risks, according to his press office. The former Lanvin chief designer had returned with his label AZ Factory after a five-year hiatus in January, and the fashion scene had its most popular figure back. A few weeks after our conversation, on April 24th, Alber Elbaz died at the age of only 59 from the consequences of a Covid 19 disease - he of all people, the cautious one, who was allegedly already vaccinated twice. We only have his last words left on this page. Alber Elbaz would have turned 60 this Saturday.
What do you eat for breakfast?
I only drink coffee.
I never eat in the morning.
Where do you buy your clothes?
I usually have them made by the tailor.
Best of all in a pack of ten.
Otherwise I like to wear Issey Miyake or Yohji Yamamoto clothes.
But I basically buy very little clothes.
What's the oldest item of clothing in your closet?
A jacket and tuxedo that were made to measure for me when I was at Yves Saint Laurent.
Of course, both parts no longer fit me today.
I only say this much: you are not too big for me.
When was the last time you wrote a handwritten letter?
That was exactly two and a half weeks ago.
I wrote 140 letters by hand, invitations to the editorial team to watch the video for the launch of my brand.
Each letter was handwritten by me and provided with drawings.
No invitation was like the other, each editor received his own personal letter.
Which book impressed you the most in your life?
It's like traveling.
The best is always the one you still have in front of you.
I just got a book from Laurence Benaïm called Sidération and it is about her mother.
I know Laurence and her mother Nicole, and I can't wait to read this book.
I have always been fascinated by mothers and family relationships.
How do you find out about world events?
I am very curious and keep asking the people around me: What's up?
What's next?
What's your favorite small talk topic?
What's for dinner?
I can assure you that it always leads to many and, above all, endless discussions.
What was the last movie you cried at?
"My Octopus Teacher" by Pippa Ehrlich and James Reed.
A wonderful documentary about a filmmaker who went through a kind of burnout and returned to his native South Africa where he started diving.
Underwater he meets an octopus, which he films for a year.
The film describes the relationship with the animal that he falls in love with in some ways.
When the octopus dies one day, it is an unspeakable pain for him.
That touched me incredibly.
Are You Superstitious?
Very!
In every way: numbers, cats, whatever.
That's why I brought out a perfume with Frédéric Malle that is called “Superstitious”.
The name was my idea.
What can you laugh about?
People.
Their personality, their authenticity, their naivety.
But I don't laugh at them, I laugh with them.
It is often said that I am funny, but what do they say about clowns: They speak the truth.
And they cry to rest.
Your favorite first names?
Alex.
Are you taking a lunch break?
Yes.
I then close the door of my office room.
Sometimes I listen to music or I talk to someone on the phone.
I try to keep the break as late and as light as possible.
But not too easy either, otherwise I'll need another sandwich at 6 p.m.
In which country would you most like to live?
Here.
For my work in fashion, it's perfect.
I also really like Paris and its people.
What is never missing in your fridge?
It all depends on the phase of life.
Sometimes my refrigerator is completely empty, sometimes it's overfull and nothing is missing, but really nothing at all.
I haven't looked how it looks in it today.
Do you feel freer with or without a car?
I do not have a driving license.
So without.
What is your greatest talent?
Empathy.
I am very sensitive and have the gift of understanding people immediately.
What do you do when it is unreasonable?
I eat as often as possible to make sure I haven't lost my sense of taste.
I am a little hypochondriac.
Which historical person would you like to meet?
Albert Einstein, because we have the same initials.
But not just because of that, of course.
Do you wear jewelry? And a watch?
I wear a Cartier watch, that's all.
I recently bought it as a gift to myself for my new start with Richemont.
Do you have a favorite fragrance?
I don't use any perfume, just essential oils that I mix myself together.
Which one I use remains my secret.
Perfumes are important to me, they remind me of certain times in my life.
When my mother died twelve years ago, the only thing I kept was her scarf so that I could sometimes smell her scent.
What was your best holiday experience?
That was in Thailand with my partner at the time.
We went there often and always invited a lot of friends.
In a year no one could come and we decided to go alone.
It was then that I realized that I need very little to be happy.
What was the last concert you were at?
Not the last, but one that will stay in my heart forever: Bono with U2.
I left the concert ten minutes before the end so as not to get into a crowd.
When I got home at one o'clock in the morning, Bono called me and said, “Did you hear the last song, 'Beautiful Life'?
I dedicated it to you. ”I actually missed that moment.
Fortunately, what are you missing?
Time.
What do you have for dinner?
Just water, I hardly drink any alcohol.