September 15, 2022 – April 15, 2023
Alber Elbaz was an international fashion legend. He was born in Casablanca, grew up in Holon, immigrated to New York, conquered Paris and left behind an extraordinary legacy that changed fashion forever. The exhibition “Alber Elbaz: The Dream Factory” (curator: Ya’ara Keydar) was the most extensive exhibition about Alber Elbaz to date. It was a moving and exciting tribute that celebrated his life and work.
Alber Elbaz, Paris, 2008. Photo: Giovanni Giannoni
Elbaz (1961-2021) dreamed and breathed fashion from early childhood and was considered a prodigy among fashion designers. This exhibition was an opportunity to tell, and experience, his extraordinary story. Alber was known not only for his unique talent for fashion and visionary approach, but also for his rare ability to tell a story, to move and touch people’s hearts. Alber’s kind personality made him deeply beloved and appreciated by many around the world. Dreams, as the driving force in Alber’s life, took center stage in the exhibition, alongside striking couture pieces.
The entire museum was dedicated to the inspirational and creative life of the acclaimed fashion designer Alber Elbaz, who passed away last year due to COVID-19. The exhibition “Alber Elbaz: The Dream Factory” included couture pieces, rare archival material, personal objects and photos shown to the public for the first time. Included is the debut collection Elbaz designed for his brand AZ Factory, which was displayed in a museum for the first time. As part of the exhibition, ensembles from the Love Brings Love tribute fashion show were on display in a new multi-media format specially designed for this exhibition. Love Brings Love was an unprecedented event in the history of international fashion that was initiated by Alber’s partner Alex Koo and AZ Factory. 46 of the leading fashion houses in the world (Dior, Gucci, Balenciaga, McQueen, and more) came together for this show and created tributes in honor of Elbaz’s memory.
Curator of the exhibition: Ya’ara Keydar (“The Ball”, “Je taime, Ronit Elkabetz”).
Creative director: Katy Reiss, who worked with Alber Elbaz for 15 years on all his unique projects: from the storefronts to the books, and directed the “Love Brings Love” fashion show in Paris.
Consultant: Shelly Wertheim, Alber Elbaz’s teacher since Shenkar, accompanied him on his professional path for over 20 years.
Graphic design: Stinsensqueeze design studio, who worked with Elbaz on special projects such as exhibitions and books
The creation of the exhibition was accompanied lovingly by the AZ Factory team, photographers, artists, video editors, Elbaz’s family in Israel, and more.
Participating designers, listed alphabetically:
AZ FACTORY, Alber Elbaz / ALAÏA, Pieter Mulier / ALEXANDER MCQUEEN, Sarah Burton / BALENCIAGA, Demna Gvasalia / BALMAIN, Olivier Rousteing / BOTTEGA VENETA, Daniel Lee / BURBERRY, Riccardo Tisci / CASABLANCA, Charaf Tajer / CHLOE, Gabriela Hearst / CHRISTIAN DIOR, Maria Grazia Chiuri / CHRISTOPHER JOHN ROGERS, Christopher John Rogers / COMME DES GARÇONS, Rei Kawakubo / DRIES VAN NOTEN, Dries Van Noten / FENDI, Kim Jones / GIAMBATTISTA VALLI, Giambattista Valli / GIORGIO ARMANI, Giorgio Armani / GIVENCHY, Matthew M. Williams / GUCCI, Alessandro Michele / GUO PEI, Guo Pei / HERMES, Nadège Vanhée-Cybulski / IRIS VAN HERPEN x ADOBE, Iris Van Herpen / JEAN PAUL GAULTIER, Jean Paul Gaultier / LANVIN, Bruno Sialelli / LOEWE, Jonathan Anderson / LOUIS VUITTON, Nicolas Ghesquière / MAISON MARGIELA, John Galliano / OFF-WHITE, Virgil Abloh / RAF SIMONS, Raf Simons / RALPH LAUREN, Ralph Lauren / RICK OWENS, Rick Owens / ROSIE ASSOULIN, Rosie Assoulin / SACAI, Chitose Abe / SAINT LAURENT, Anthony Vaccarello / SCHIAPARELLI, Daniel Roseberry / SIMONE ROCHA, Simone Rocha / STELLA MCCARTNEY, Stella McCartney / THEBE MAGUGU, Thebe Magugu / THOM BROWNE, Thom Browne / TOMO KOIZUMI, Tomo Koizumi / VALENTINO, Pierpaolo Piccioli / VERSACE, Donatella Versace / VETEMENTS, Guram Gvasalia / VIKTOR & ROLF, Viktor Horsting & Rolf Snoeren / VIVIENNE WESTWOOD, Vivienne Westwood & Andreas Kronthaler / WALES BONNER, Grace Wales Bonner / Y PROJECT, Glenn Martens / AZ Factory Studio
Participating photographers and artists:
Achikam Ben Yosef, Yves Bottalico, Alex Koo, Alcibiade Cohen, Andrea Adriani/IMAXtree, Armando Grillo, But Sou Lai, Giovanni Giannoni, James Bort, Tim Walker, Yaffa Yiron Kouts, Christophe Madamour, Leon Prost, Liu Bolin, Mark Leibowitz, Mula Eshet, Miri Davidovitz, Noa Arber, Stéphane Gallois, Stephane Feugère, Pierre Even, Philippe Cometti, Filippo Fior, Freton / Gamma Rapho, AP/ Francois Mori, Zviki Eshet, Katy Reiss, Ran Slavin, Rafael Fuchs, Jean-Christophe Moine, Juergen Teller, Séraphin Ducellier.
Additional loans: Maison Bonnet – Bespoke Eyewear Family House, and Meryl Streep.
The exhibition was supported by the municipality of Holon, the Israeli Ministry of Culture and the French Institute in Israel.
The exhibition was sponsored by:
Colmobil – Mercedes-Benz Israel | Irani Group – Factory 54 | Morel – the sole high-end speaker manufacturer in Israel.
Special thank you: Alex Koo
We extend our gratitude to:
The Richemont Group and AZ Factory for the loan of the pieces.
Sir Ronald Cohen and Sharon Harel-Cohen, Dorit Hakim and Shlomo Kramer, Daniella and Alma Luxembourg for their generous donations.
Chair of the museum friends, Galia Harel Dor, and the Friends of Design Museum Holon for their continued support.
The Schusterman Family Philanthropies – for its generous support
of the museum’s exhibitions.
Alber Elbaz’s Family.
The curator wishes to thank: Deakla Keydar / Roi Baron / Natalie Nudell / Romain Steigler / Ifat Irani, Ravid Flexer / Gil Brandes / Judith Assraf / Hania Destelle / Sagiv Galam / Efrat Bigger / Tamara Yovel Jones / Shira Meir / Keydar family / Dorit Levinstein / Keren Magen Haim / Charlotte Fainblatt / Ralph Toledano / Eliane Stoleru / Billy Segal Gezelius / Pazit Fuchs / Yoni Meisler / Offer Maurer / Dushi (Andrea) Leitersdorf.
Thank you: Ofer & David Keydar Luft.
For more credits click here.
