Paris (AFP)
Leïla Menchari, the Tunisian designer famous for her flamboyant decorations of Hermès windows, died on Saturday, the French haute couture house announced in a statement on Sunday.
The nonagenarian artist born in Tunis in 1927 and whom the writer Michel Tournier called "the queen mage" was until 2013 the artistic director of the shop windows at 24, rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré in Paris.
"It has never ceased to arouse the curiosity, astonishment and amazement of passersby, making showcases in abundant theaters, windows open to elsewhere," said the luxury goods company, which paid tribute to an "outstanding dreamer and storyteller".
According to the French daily Liberation, she died from Covid-19.
The windows of the historic headquarters of the house were indeed similar to small theaters with shimmering colors and decorations inspired in part by its Tunisian heritage, evoking lush gardens or even facades of oriental palaces.
"When we decorate, there must always be mystery, because mystery is a springboard for dreams. Mystery encourages us to fill what is not revealed by the imagination," she confided to franceinfo.
A feminist, she was born to a lawyer father, Abderrahman Menchari and a mother known for her lectures on the emancipation of women, Habiba Ben Djellab.
Painter trained at the Beaux-Arts in Tunis and at the École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts in Paris, she was a model for a time with Guy Laroche before joining the decoration team of Annie Beaumel at Hermès in 1961.
In 2017, an exhibition at the Grand Palais, "Hermès à tire-d'aile" introduced his work to a wider audience.
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