Above: Alber Elbaz as photographed by Lucire Paris editor Lola Saab.

Moroccan-born French designer Alber Elbaz has died at age 59, according to Richemont, which partnered with him on his latest venture, AZ Factory. It is believed Elbaz died from COVID-19, which he had had for three weeks, and had been in an induced coma.
   Elbaz was behind the rejuvenation of Lanvin and helmed the label’s artistic direction from 2001 to 2015.
   Richemont founder and chairman Johann Rupert said in a statement, ‘It was with shock and enormous sadness that I heard of Alber’s sudden passing. Alber had a richly deserved reputation as one of the industry’s brightest and most beloved figures. I was always taken by his intelligence, sensitivity, generosity and unbridled creativity. He was a man of exceptional warmth and talent, and his singular vision, sense of beauty and empathy leave an indelible impression.
   ‘It was a great privilege watching Alber in his last endeavour as he worked to realize his dream of “smart fashion that cares”. His inclusive vision of fashion made women feel beautiful and comfortable by blending traditional craftsmanship with technology—highly innovative projects which sought to redefine the industry.’
   Speaking with him in 2011, Elbaz displayed a sense of humour and a wonderful insight into his work at Lanvin.
   ‘For each woman there are ten different women … even in men there consists ten different men … and that is what this collection is about. It is not only about one person with one type of haircut with one look, but these are different occasions and different personalities. [The different designs represent] individuals and very personal [looks],’ he told Lucire’s Paris editor Lola Cristall.
   On the menswear side, Elbaz explained the approach he took: ‘When we began at first, the image was of a man who was very specifically created being emotional and poetic, and then we advanced [creating] man as more linear, a little more edgy and a little cooler … Then we wanted to go back to our roots: the essentials of where we started. Finally, we realized that it is not one outfit for one man but it is clothing for different men … here we wanted to show the different façades of a man.’
   Elbaz was born in Casablanca, and moved to Israel when he was 10. He studied fashion in Israel after his military service, and went to New York in 1985. There he worked for Geoffrey Beene, before moving to Paris and heading the design at Guy Laroche. Elbaz took over for Yves Saint Laurent at the appointment of Pierre Bergé at the end of the 1990s, until Gucci took over the label. He briefly worked for Krizia before joining Lanvin in 2001.
   Despite bringing the brand back from irrelevance, he fell out with Lanvin’s owner Wang Shaw-Lan and CEO Michele Hubain in 2015 and was ousted from the label, which caused him great distress. After some smaller projects, Elbaz launched AZ Factory with Richemont last January.

It was probably inevitable that Reebok would build on its collaboration with Cardi B after how quickly her collection sold out last October. That collection, with retro colours and motifs applied to the Reebok Club C sneaker, recalled the rapper’s own fashion choices, such as a bright red dress she wore to the Met Gala in 2019.
   Reebok has now announced its first apparel collection with Cardi B, called the Summertime Fine collection, releasing April 23 at 10 a.m. EDT. This time, the German-owned brand stresses that it was a full collaboration, with Cardi involved since the beginning of the design process, and trying on every piece herself.
   Rather than the ’80s vibe of the shoes, there’s a ’90s one this time, recalling Reebok’s own vintage styles and Cardi’s memories of summers on the Coney Island boardwalk. Colours are bright red and pastel purple, with cinched waists and mesh cutouts, designed to be fashionable both at the gym and on the street. Sizes range from 2XS to 4X. Matching footwear, in the shape of the Cardi B Club C, will also be available, in women’s and children’s sizes.
   ‘I’m so proud to announce my first apparel line with Reebok. This collection gives every woman the product they need to feel sexy and confident; the waist-snatching tights and curve hugging silhouettes make every body look amazing,’ she said.

Both Megan Thee Stallion and Sofia Carson appear in new fragrance campaigns for Revlon: Stallion for Reign On and Carson for One Heart.
   ‘Revlon’s Reign On is the perfect fragrance for all my Hot Girls. It is fresh and flirty and will complement any summer vibe,’ said Stallion in a release.
   ‘One Heart embraces you with love, a love that we all long for, now more than ever. Every time I wear this fragrance, its beautiful florals and musks comfort me with an undeniable feeling of tenderness and hope,’ added Carson.
   Reign On is a fruity fragrance with top notes of lemon confit and drenched bamboo leaves, middle notes of bright jasmine petals, waterlily and butterfly flower, and basenotes of sheer musks, blonde woods and salty moss. The 30 ml eau de toilette spray retails for US$25 and the 256 ml fine fragrance mist for US$9·99.
   One Heart is a woody floral, with top notes of pink pepper and pear blossom, middle notes of lily of the valley, peony and heliotrope, and basenotes of orris, sandalwood and milky musks. Sizes and prices are the same as for Reign On: the eau de toilette for US$25 and the mist for US$9·99.
   They are available through Amazon and select CVS stores. Hashtags for the pair are #RevlonxMeg and #RevlonxSofia respectively.

As a company that believes in accessible style, Cole Haan has launched its first golf footwear collection, débuting for spring 2021 and available now.
   There are three collections with names that Danes might balk at, as Cole Haan takes a character out of their alphabet for stylistic reasons and not pronounciation ones: ØriginalGrand, GrandPrø and Generation Zerøgrand. They link to what Cole Haan calls its Grand 36∅ Design and Engineering System.
   The shoes are spikeless and weatherproof, and aim to have good fit.
   David Maddocks, brand president of Cole Haan, said, ‘With more people golfing than ever, Cole Haan set out to democratize the game. Our customers have asked us for years to make performance golf shoes, however we knew we couldn’t simply offer something on par with the market-place. We believe we’ve set a new standard with an alchemy that combines superior performance, long-lasting comfort, and confident style that goes straight to the clubhouse. We have written new rules when it comes to both men’s and women’s golf footwear.’
   The range includes the ØriginalGrand golf shoe, which has an Oxford look; while the GrandPrø AM golf sneaker has a sneaker style with a variety of prints. These are available in men’s and women’s sizing. The Generation Zerøgrand golf sneaker, exclusive to men, blends athletic and dress shoe æsthetics.
   Chief creative officer Scott Patt added, ‘Golfers need comfortable, supportive, and stylish footwear that performs on and off the course. ‘We’re excited to introduce an assortment of styles that are exceptionally lightweight, cushioned, and are engineered with proprietary multi-directional traction that takes golfers from the course to the clubhouse.’
   Prices range from US$140 to US$170, and the collection is available through colehaan.com, in select Cole Haan stores, and Golf Galaxy and Dick’s Sporting Goods.

Witchery’s April arrivals form part of its Highland Escape collection for autumn–winter 2021, with checks and tartan dropping for April.
   Tapping into a Scottish heritage, Witchery’s latest evokes a 1970s to 1980s mood, with designs including the pintuck check dress, with butterscotch and whisky tones (NZ$199·90); the mini button check skirt (NZ$149·90) is a chic statement that’s at home in 2021; while the check coat (NZ$449·90) looks warm with its sumptuous wool yarns.

New Zealand label Ruby has released its Visions collection, which aims to extend the brand into new silhouettes, and revisits a few classic staples, out now. Creative director Deanna Didovich says, ‘We created Visions to encourage Rubettes to step outside of their comfort zones. To experiment with new silhouettes, while feeling confident in doing so. Of course, the collection features a few classic Ruby staples reworked in trans-seasonal designs.’ More at rubynz.com.

Model and actress Sui He (何穗) has been named Elizabeth Arden’s newest ambassador.
   Hailing from China, where she established her modelling career after winning a competition at age 17, He went on to become the first Asian model to open a US designer show (Ralph Lauren, fall–winter 2011–12) and the second model of Chinese descent to appear in a Victoria’s Secret fashion show, walking every year for the lingerie brand from 2011 to 2017. In 2011 she was named one of New York’s fall 2011 top 10 faces.
   She has also appeared in Legend of the Naga Pearls, Pegasus, and Silent Separation during the 2010s.
   Elizabeth Arden picked He to appeal to the east Asian market, although she will also appear in global campaigns.
   He said, ‘I am a beauty lover at heart and have always been a fan of the Elizabeth Arden brand. The brand resembles a grace and timeless style that I have always admired along with high-quality and beautiful products that make women feel empowered. I am proud to partner with such a heritage brand and am excited to share their innovations and rich history with women everywhere.’
   Ava Huang, Elizabeth Arden’s global general manager, added, ‘Sui’s effortless sophistication and natural beauty leaves the world enamoured. Her confidence and drive coupled with her warmth and intelligence align seamlessly with Elizabeth Arden’s brand values, making her the perfect woman to represent the brand, continuing to uphold our founder’s legacy of empowering women and providing them with luxurious, high-performing innovation.’
   Prior campaigns for He include Ralph Lauren, Karl by Karl Lagerfeld, Tom Ford, Roberto Cavalli, Banana Republic, Bloomingdale’s, and H&M.
   She has also lent her name to the Stop Asian Hate social media campaign in the US.