‘It’s almost like being naked with clothes’ – former Lanvin designer Alber Elbaz on embracing Instagram

Four years of soul-searching seem to have raised more questions than answers for former Lanvin creative director Alber Elbaz. One might be forgiven for thinking those questions would be about why he was so unceremoniously – and publicly – ousted from his former position in 2015 after 14 successful years at the helm.

But the Moroccan-Israeli designer has bigger questions on his mind. “What is the role of designers today? Is it creating or curating? Is it about fame or talent? Is newer always better than older? Can they live in harmony? Does one have to erase the other?”, he mused at the recent Paris launch of his first collaboration with Tod’s Factory, an offshoot of Italian leather goods maker Tod’s.

The much-loved designer is a little bummed we’re not doing this interview in Hong Kong instead of Paris, but the launch was moved due to the ongoing protests in Hong Kong.

“Asia has been so loyal and we thought part of repaying that loyalty was to go back to Asia and launch this there. I thought this would have been great because these days, the clients are not coming to you, you are going to them. Unfortunately, you see how politics is changing our agenda everywhere in the world,” says Elbaz.

His agenda for the past four years has been mainly travelling, meeting new people and developing new projects that have given him a different perspective on things, something he has found “very interesting”, although the answers he seeks are still a little elusive.

“There are no answers,” he says ruefully. “You have to let go. You have to be. This is part of the organic [nature] of swimming in the river, not in the lake. That’s the answer to everything but there are a lot of questions. The more questions you have, I think more and more you train your brain to think and not just reject.”

So in many ways, he has been opening himself to new collaborations and projects that may not have been in consideration had he still be with a major atelier. So while searching for himself, Elbaz has found time to work on a perfume with Frédéric Malle, trainers with Converse, bags with LeSportsac, and now a collection of bags and shoes with Tod’s Factory.

“I took my time because I didn’t want to do what I’ve had done. I did a perfume. I did [trainers]. Now, the project with Tod’s. I did LeSportsac because it’s not my comfort zone. I want to learn. You know, my dream was to be a doctor, not a designer. Doctors are always people who learn. They never stop because the moment they stop, they cannot discover new cures. So I like the idea of trying new things,” he says.