Leïla Menchari ( ar, ليلى المنشاري; 27 September 1927 – 4 April 2020) was a Tunisian designer and decorator.
Biography
Menchari was born in
Tunis in 1927. Her father was a lawyer and her mother, Habiba Menchari, was known for her lectures on female empowerment. As a teenager, she met Jean and Violet Henson, who introduced Menchari to horticulture and helped her meet artists such as
Man Ray,
Jean Cocteau,
Christian Bérard
Christian Bérard (20 August 1902 – 11 February 1949), also known as Bebè, was a French artist, fashion illustrator and designer.
Bérard and his lover Boris Kochno, who worked for the Ballets Russes and was also co-founder of the Ballets d ...
, and
Serge Lifar. In 1943, she entered the
Tunis Institute of Fine Arts
The Tunis Institute of Fine Arts (french: Institut supérieur des beaux-arts de Tunis) is a fine arts institute in Tunis, Tunisia.
Founded in 1923, its seat was located at the ''Dribat'' Ben Abdallah near ''Tourbet el Bey'' with its former name Tu ...
, and the
École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts in 1948.
In
Paris, Menchari met
Azzedine Alaïa
Azzedine Alaïa (; ar, عز الدين عليّة, ʿIzz ad-Dīn ʿAlayya, ; 26 February 1935 – 18 November 2017) was a Tunisian couturier and shoe designer, particularly successful beginning in the 1980s.
Early life
Alaïa was born in Tunis, ...
. She also met
Guy Laroche, who helped her become a star model. However, Menchari quit Laroche's business following the death of her mother and became the decorator for
Hermès International
Hermès International S.A., or simply Hermès ( , ), is a French luxury design house established in 1837. It specializes in leather goods, lifestyle accessories, home furnishings, perfumery, jewelry, watches and ready-to-wear. Its logo, since ...
headquarters on
Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré. She worked for Hermès as a decorator for over fifty years. She also designed gloves, bags, and clothing, including a coat worn by actress
MarÃa Félix. Her other responsibilities including supervising the factoring of glass manufacturer
Saint-Louis.
Leïla Menchari died on 4 April 2020 in
Paris, France, due to
COVID-19.
Exposition
*''Hermès à tire-d'aile - les mondes de Leïla Menchari'' (2017,
Grand Palais
The Grand Palais des Champs-Élysées ( en, Great Palace of the Elysian Fields), commonly known as the Grand Palais (English: Great Palace), is a historic site, exhibition hall and museum complex located at the Champs-Élysées in the 8th arro ...
, Paris)
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Menchari, Leïla
Tunisian designers
1927 births
Tunisian women artists
2020 deaths
Tunisian women
Deaths from the COVID-19 pandemic in France