Max Azria
Max Azria biography
Born: Stfax, Tunisia, 1949
Credits & copyrights: Courtesy of Max Azria
Max Azria moved with his family to France when he was a child. Educated in southeastern France, his family moved to Paris in 1963.
Azria started to design women’s clothing while in Paris. In 1981 he moved to Los Angeles and launched Jess, a range of boutiques for women offering chic French clothing.
In 1989 Azria launched BCBGMAXAZRIA. Named after the French phase ‘bon chic, bon genre’, Azria’s collection showed his sophisticated French style. Catching celebrities’ attention, his approach was to offer clothing at more affordable prices than other fashion houses. The line saw its first runway collection presented at New York Fashion Week in 1996.
Receiving a succession of awards during the late 90s, the peak saw Azria awarded a seat on the Council of Fashion Designers of America in 1998. The same year Azria bought the Hervé Léger fashion house. Azria was the first American designer to acquire a French couturier.
Azria extended his market share in 1999, launching a plus size line to his own label. In 2004 Azria launched Max Azria Atelier, a collection of couture gowns designed for celebrity clients and the red carpet. With his wife Lubov, they debuted Max Azria, a new ready-to-wear collection in 2006. Launched during New York Fashion Week, the line gave the Azrias the opportunity to further express their creative vision. They created a style of weightless volume and individualism inspired by organic elements.
The following year Azria relaunched the Hervé Léger label with his own designs. The capsule summer collection was only sold at selected department stores and boutiques. In 2008 Azria presented the Hervé Léger by Max Azria collection at New York Fashion Week.
BCBGMAXAZRIAGROUP is a global fashion house with Azria as the CEO, chairman and head designer. BCBGMAXAZRIA has over 550 boutiques worldwide. A clear retail giant, Max Azria is known for his brilliant business acumen as well as being a designer who can constantly define trends.
Elegant and simplistic, Azria’s chic style offers a postmodern vision of beauty. His recent collections show him move past his previous minimalistic style.
Max Azria biography
