Palais Galliera to stage exhibition themed on Alber Elbaz tribute show

By

Godfrey Deeny

Published
Nov 24, 2021

Fashion’s love of the late great Alber Elbaz never seems to fade. Paris's Palais Galliera on Thursday announced that next spring it will stage an unprecedented exhibition themed on the final tribute show presented in the designer’s honor.

 
One of the most important exhibition spaces for fashion on the planet, the Palais Galliera plans to celebrate Elbaz by recreating the collaborative show that was presented in tribute to him on October 5, 2021, in Paris.
 
Entitled 'Love Brings Love, The Alber Elbaz Tribute Show,' the exhibition will be staged from March 5 to July 10, 2022.

In the original live runway show, 46 designers created homage ensembles and presented them in a joint show in a mark of respect to the Israeli-raised designer’s career, influence and profound impact on fashion design. That show also contained a new collection from AZ Factory, the fledgling fashion house he had recently founded.
 
Staged in the Carreau du Temple, each of the 46 participating houses and designers sent out total looks inspired by Elbaz and his unique fashion signature – engulfing cocktails; ruffled dresses; smoky glamour and self-confident chic, many looks printed with drawings and portraits of Alber.
 
Underlining the respect in which Elbaz was held both France’s First Lady Brigitte Macron and Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo – a candidate running for president against Emmanuel Macron next year - both sat front row, amid two score of designers.

 
On the catwalk, master designers participated, including Jean-Paul Gaultier, Pieter Mulier, Sarah Burton, Daniel Lee, Charaf Tajer, Gabriela Hearst, Christopher John Rogers, Dries Van Noten, Guo Pei, Nadège Vanhée-Cybulski, Iris Van Herpen, Rosie Assoulin, Chitose Abe, Daniel Roseberry, Simone Rocha, Thebe Magugu, Tomo Koizumi, Donatella Versace, Guram Gvasalia, Viktor Horsting and Rolf Snoeren, Vivienne Westwood and Andreas Kronthaler, Grace Wales Bonner and Glenn Martens.

“Each designer whether established or emerging, whether creative director of one of the heritage maisons or head of their own brand, came up with a perspective on fashion design, its questionings and its take on contemporary issues such as the environment, diversity, and gender,” noted the Palais Galliera in a release.

The museum plans to recreate the show by immersing its visitors in the full runway experience, reproducing the order on the runway, the effects, music and lights which made the evening an unforgettable moment of fashion history.

The exhibition will be made possible thanks to generous loans from AZ Factory and the support of Richemont, the luxury behemoth that finances Elbaz’s indie house.