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Azria, 57, has achieved his vision of merging mass appeal and fashion credibility by coupling the sophisticated detail of European tailoring with the casual, unfussy spirit of American sportswear. His primary line, BCBG Max Azria, consists of dresses, denim, outerwear, swimwear, footwear, handbags, sunwear, eyewear, belts, small leather goods and watches as well as men's shirts, tailored clothing and ties. Much of this product expansion is due to a series of licensing contracts Azria began in earnest around 2002. Last year he hired veteran stylist Lori Goldstein to focus BCBG Max Azria, which will have its first runway show...
...seems as if a lot of people have been taking a new look at the company, which finally broke into the New York City fashion crowd in 2002, years after its first runway show there in 1996. "Our product had changed," says Azria. "Our collection was much more deep and really meant something." Still, says BCBG president Ben Malka, it wasn't easy. "There was a certain stigma that Max broke. He said, 'We're here to serve consumers, not egos,' and he designed a product that was salable and had a fluid, sophisticated sexiness, a point of view. Everyone...
Born in Tunisia, Azria grew up in Paris, one of six children of an olive-oil producer and a homemaker. As a teenager he sold sugared-almond candy on the street and stumbled upon his interest in fashion only "by accident" at the age of 16 when he was hired as an apprentice to "an old man in the business" (he's vague on the details). After studying classics in college, he designed and ran a womenswear line for 11 years. "It was very junior and very technical," he says. "I learned the business there?production, manufacturing, development...
...Azria was looking for a design partner. A mutual friend sent Azria's way a Ukrainian-born former ballerina who had attended Los Angeles' Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising and had worked for several small designers but was considering leaving fashion for her other passion, art. Her name was Lubov. "In the interview he asked me one question: Are you global, or are you detail oriented?" she says. "I said, 'The latter.' And he said, 'Great, you're hired because I'm global.'" Soon Azria asked Lubov another question. "He asked me to marry him after a shopping trip...
They wed in 1992, the same year they opened their first boutique, in Los Angeles. "After I got engaged, I changed my mind about fashion," says Lubov, 38, now creative director for BCBG Max Azria, Max Azria and Max Azria Atelier, "as long as Max understood my needs as a designer." It's not surprising to hear Azria call Lubov his muse, whereas she speaks with a bit more nuance. "Max creates the vision, and I make sure it's executed," she says. "We're a great team as long as his office is on the other...