AZ Factory teams up with Ester Manas
A year after the death of its founder, the talented designer Albez Elbaz, AZ Factory has been carrying on his legacy through collaborations. The project, entitled ‘Guest Amigo’ and launched last March, joins forces with "partners, talents and customers to experiment and try new things."
Following South African brand Thebe Magugu’s first collaboration with AZ Factory, it’s now French-Belgian brand Ester Manas’ turn to try its hand at this endeavour.
Ester Manas, a finalist in several prestigious design competitions such as the Festival de Hyères and Andam, and a semi-finalist for the LVMH Prize, walked down the Paris Fashion Week catwalk in March for the first time and has managed to make a name for itself in the fashion scene in a span of just a few years, advocating a size-inclusive approach that embraces shapes and curves. The brand has developed one-size-fits-all garments that adapt to as many people as possible due to adjustability, special materials, as well as specific cuts and structures.
Manas, a young woman, initially interested in art, began her studies at the Ateliers de Sèvres, then branched off to the famous Brussels-based fashion school, La Cambre. She then gained work experience at Balenciaga, Paco Rabanne, Annemie Verbeke, and Acne Studios. In 2019, she co-founded her brand halfway between Paris and Brussels together with Balthazar Delepierre, whom the designer met in La Cambre where she studied typography, and with whom she has worked for many years.
This latest design decision ideally fits AZ Factory’s “democratic fashion." The new brand’s first collection, launched in January 2021 in partnership with the luxury group Richemont, presented a series of pieces made with innovative stretch fabric capable of adapting to all sizes.
AZ Factory's collection designed by Ester Manas will be unveiled in June and will arrive in stores in the fall, the company said, without providing further details.
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