Bethann Hardison Instagram – ALBER ELBAZ..the Moroccan born Israeli fashion designer who I have known since the late 80’s, I owe him my recognition.
I had my model agency Bethann Management on N Moore St and Alber was the assistant to Geoffrey Beene.
We supported each other. He liked a model I had name Roshumba and had me work with him to convince Mr Beene, as Mr Beene was no easy walk in the park. But after many “go-sees” Roshumba was accepted to do fittings, presentations, then shows. Alber and I had to be wise in maintaining this relationship with Mr Beene.
Alber was thrilled that it worked.
Eventually he left NY. Years later, I remember walking into an environment of fashion humans and heard my name loud in that distinctive Alber voice “Bethann”!!!…years had gone by, there he was, making it on his own. And he never forgot me.
Mid 90’s the fashion industry started taking an unfortunate turn to the Caucasian “anonymous” model.
By 2007 I was on my “bandwagon” reflecting this unfortunate turn as “not cool”.
Alber was part of that fashion moment as well. Knowing he had risked his job years before for the inspiration of a black model. I reached out to him and he played semantics with me, talked in circles.
I understood, it was that moment in fashion, that it was what it was. But thereafter when the tide slowly begin to turn, Alber discovered the lovely Kinee Diouf of Senegal in Paris and added her to his cabine.
She was a modern version of Roshumba.
Later, Alber allowed me to film, with a camera man, his Lanvin resort show in NY I think it was 2010 or after.
I wanted to capture on film what was happening and not happening in the industry at that time. He and I discuss what I was witnessing and he took the high road and made light of it. But I knew Alber had the appetite for the model of color and when the market began to turn further, he stepped way up.
After he left Lanvin, years later, I saw him in 2018 at the BoF conference in England, a voice yelled loud..“Bethann”!!!.
Yes, once again it was Alber.
Soar in peace, see you on the other side.
#alberelbaz #gentlegiant #soulfulhuman | Posted on 01/May/2021 21:20:44
