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LONDON, United Kingdom — “I must say, I’m in love with Zoom,” Alber Elbaz told BoF Editor-in-Chief Imran Amed in the latest edition of the BoF Podcast. The former creative director of Lanvin, and self described “Zoombie,” discussed life under lockdown, his advice for young designers and the role of multi-brand retail moving forward.
See takeaways from the talk below.
- On the future of retail: “One store after one is going down and it’s killing me,” Elbaz said, suggesting more equitable partnerships between retailers and brands in the wake of the Neiman Marcus Group’s bankruptcy filing. Stores should move away from brand-designated sections and instead segment by retail categories, he said.
- Elbaz maintains that designers should wait to begin their own lines after graduating school, stressing the importance of learning about different facets of the industry before starting their own businesses. “If I was a young designer today at the beginning of my career, I would apply to work with a factory,” said Elbaz.
- As for his upcoming project with Richemont, Elbaz couldn’t share much. “I’m doing a company that is made to measure what I believe in,” he said, adding that taking time to launch his own project, rather than working for an established house, was a welcome change.”I’ve found myself in the right place,” he said. “After a long time of not being in love with fashion anymore, I was looking to fall in love again.”
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