Max Azria facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Max Azria
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Max Azria at the Spring 2009 Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week
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| Born | January 1, 1949 Sfax, French protectorate of Tunisia (now in Tunisia)
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| Died | May 6, 2019 (aged 70) Houston, Texas, U.S.
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| Known for | BCBGMAXAZRIA Runway Hervé Léger by Max Azria Max Azria BCBGeneration Miley Cyrus & Max Azria |
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| Children | 6 |
Max Azria (born January 1, 1949 – died May 6, 2019) was a famous American fashion designer. He was born in Tunisia and came from a Tunisian-Jewish family. Max Azria is best known for starting the popular women's clothing brand BCBG MAX AZRIA. He was also the main designer and leader of the BCBG Max Azria Group, a big fashion company with over 20 different brands. Max Azria left BCBG in 2016. The company later faced financial difficulties and was sold in 2017. After leaving fashion, Azria became the CEO of a company called ZappLight.
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Early Life and Education
Max Azria was born in Sfax, Tunisia. He was the youngest of six children in his Jewish family. When he was a child, Azria went to school in southeastern France. In 1963, his family moved to Paris, France. His brother, Serge Azria, also became a successful fashion designer. Serge started well-known clothing lines like Joie and Equipment.
Fashion Career
Starting His Fashion Journey
Max Azria spent 11 years designing women's clothes in Paris. In 1981, he moved to Los Angeles, California. There, he opened a new type of clothing store for women called Jess. These stores were very innovative for their time.
Creating BCBG Max Azria
In 1989, Azria launched his most famous brand, BCBG Max Azria. The name comes from a French saying, "bon chic bon genre." This Parisian slang means "good style, good attitude." Max Azria became famous for making stylish designer clothes that people could afford. Because of this, he joined the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) in 1998. His BCBG Max Azria Runway collection first appeared at New York Fashion Week in 1996.
Expanding His Fashion Empire
Azria also had two special designer collections named after himself: Max Azria Atelier and Max Azria. Max Azria Atelier started in 2004. It featured fancy gowns made for famous people and red-carpet events. Stars like Sharon Stone and Halle Berry wore these beautiful dresses. In 2006, Azria launched Max Azria, a ready-to-wear collection. This collection also showed at New York Fashion Week.
In 1998, Azria bought the Hervé Léger fashion house. This was a big deal because it was the first time an American designer bought a French fashion house. In 2007, Azria brought back the Hervé Léger brand with his own designs. Celebrities and fashion trendsetters quickly loved these new designs.
In 2008, Max Azria launched BCBGeneration. This was a collection for younger people. In 2009, he worked with singer Miley Cyrus. Together, they created a clothing line for Walmart called Miley Cyrus & Max Azria. He also designed clothes for Miley Cyrus's tour that year.
New Ventures and Challenges
Max Azria left BCBG in 2016 as the company faced challenges. In 2017, BCBG Max Azria filed for bankruptcy. The brand was then sold to other companies, Marquee Brands and Global Brands Group.
On May 31, 2017, Max Azria joined a company called ZappLight. He became its CEO and a partner. ZappLight makes a special light bulb that is also a bug zapper. Max Azria said he was excited to help ZappLight become a global brand. He believed that fashion and technology both focus on great design and making people happy. ZappLight combines an LED light that attracts bugs with zapping technology. It's a light bulb, so people can put it in any outdoor light fixture.
The BCBG Max Azria Group was a big fashion company with over 20 brands. Max Azria was the main designer and leader. His wife, Lubov Azria, was the chief creative officer. By 2006, there were over 550 BCBG Max Azria stores around the world. These stores were in major cities like London, Paris, and Tokyo. Azria's clothes were also sold in many large department stores globally.
BCBG Max Azria Group often worked with famous models and photographers. Their clothes were featured in popular fashion magazines like Vogue and InStyle.
Recent History
The BCBG Max Azria Group filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in February 2017. This means they asked for help from the law to reorganize their business. In July 2017, the brand and its other labels were taken over by Marquee Brands and Global Brands Group. These companies bought the rights and assets of the company.
Personal Life
Max Azria was married twice. From his first marriage, he had three children: Michael John, Joyce Azria Nassir, and Marine Azria. He later married Ukrainian-born Lubov Azria. She was also the chief creative officer for BCBG Max Azria Group. They had three children together: Chloe, Anais, and Agnes. His daughter, Joyce Azria, became the creative director of BCBGeneration in 2009. Max Azria and his family lived in a house in Holmby Hills, Los Angeles, California.
His Passing
Max Azria died on May 6, 2019, in a hospital in Houston. He was 70 years old and passed away from lung cancer.
See also
- Retail apocalypse
- List of retailers affected by the retail apocalypse
