Max Azria (January 1, 1949 – May 6, 2019) was a French-American fashion designer who founded the contemporary women's clothing brand BCBG MAX AZRIA. He was also the designer, chairman, and CEO of the BCBG Max Azria Group,Mustafa, Nadia (Fall 2006). "Bon Business", ''Time Style & Design'', 81. a global fashion house which encompassed over 20 brands.Edelson, Sharon (June 3, 2009). "Miley Cyrus, Max Azria Sign Deal To Launch Line", ''Women's Wear Daily'', 12. He left BCBG in 2016. BCBG Max Azria filed for bankruptcy in 2017 and was sold to Marquee Brands and Global Brands Group. Later Azria was the CEO of ZappLight.

Early life and education

Max Azria was born in

Sfax Sfax ( ; , ) is a major port city in Tunisia, located southeast of Tunis. The city, founded in AD849 on the ruins of Taparura, is the capital of the Sfax Governorate (about 955,421 inhabitants in 2014), and a Mediterranean port. Sfax has a ...

Tunisia Tunisia, officially the Republic of Tunisia, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It is bordered by Algeria to the west and southwest, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Tunisia also shares m ...

,Mustafa, Nadia (Fall 2006). "Bon Business", ''Time Style & Design'', 82. the youngest of six children to a family of both Sephardi Jewish and

Mizrahi Jewish Mizrahi Jews (), also known as ''Mizrahim'' () in plural and ''Mizrahi'' () in singular, and alternatively referred to as Oriental Jews or ''Edot HaMizrach'' (, ), are terms used in Israeli discourse to refer to a grouping of Jews, Jewish c ...

( Tunisian-Jewish) descent. As a child, he was educated in southeastern

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

before his family immigrated to

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

in 1963. His brother is Serge Azria, the founder of the women's clothing lines Joie, Current/Elliott, and

Equipment Equipment most commonly refers to a set of tool A tool is an Physical object, object that can extend an individual's ability to modify features of the surrounding environment or help them accomplish a particular task. Although many Tool use by ...

which is based in

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

Career

After 11 years of designing a line of women's apparel in Paris, Azria moved to Los Angeles in 1981 and launched Jess, a series of new-concept retail boutiques for women's apparel. In 1989, Azria launched BCBG Max Azria, named for the French phrase " bon chic, bon genre," a Parisian slang phrase which means "good style, good attitude". He was applauded for offering designer fashion at affordable price points and inducted into the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) in 1998.Baker, Ashley (February 17, 2009). "Loving Max More Than Ever", ''The Daily'', 20. The BCBG Max Azria Runway collection was first presented at

New York Fashion Week New York Fashion Week (NYFW), held in February and September of each year, is a semi-annual series of events in Manhattan typically spanning seven to nine days when international Fashion design, fashion collections are shown to buyers, the pres ...

in 1996. Azria maintained two eponymous designer collections, Max Azria Atelier and Max Azria. Launched in February 2004, Max Azria Atelier is a collection of couture gowns created for celebrity clients and red-carpet events.

Sharon Stone Sharon Vonne Stone (born March 10, 1958) is an American actress and film producer. Known for primarily playing femmes fatales and women of mystery on film and television, she became one of the most popular sex symbols of the 1990s. She is the ...

Halle Berry Halle Maria Berry ( ; born Maria Halle Berry; August 14, 1966) is an American actress. She began her career as a model and entered several beauty contests, finishing as the first runner-up in the Miss USA pageant of 1986 and also placing six ...

, Fergie,Souter, Ericka & Dowd, Kathy Ehrich (September 4, 2006). "Red Carpet Ready", ''People'', 120. and

Alicia Keys Alicia Augello Cook (born January 25, 1981), known professionally as Alicia Keys, is an American singer and songwriter. A classically trained pianist, Keys began composing songs at the age of 12 and was signed by Columbia Records at 15. After d ...

have worn the label on red carpets. In February 2006, Azria debuted Max Azria, a ready-to-wear collection with a directional aesthetic on the runway at New York Fashion Week. During the 2009 awards season,

Angelina Jolie Angelina Jolie ( ; born Angelina Jolie Voight, , June 4, 1975) is an American actress, filmmaker, and humanitarian. The recipient of List of awards and nominations received by Angelina Jolie, numerous accolades, including two Academy Awards ...

wore Max Azria to the 2009

Screen Actors Guild Awards Screen Actors Guild Awards (also known as SAG Awards) are accolades given by the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA). The award was founded in 1995 to recognize outstanding performances in movie an ...

and the 2009 Critics Choice Awards. In 2006, the company bought out G+G Retail (including the G+G and Rave brands) which had gone bankrupt. Azria acquired the Hervé Léger fashion house in 1998, marking the first time in history that an American designer had acquired a French couturier. In early 2007, he relaunched the Hervé Léger label with his own designs, which were quickly embraced by celebrities and trendsetters worldwide. In fall 2008, Max Azria presented BCBG Max Azria Runway, Max Azria, and Hervé Léger by Max Azria at New York Fashion Week; this was the first time an American designer produced three major fashion shows throughout a single New York Fashion Week event. Azria launched a young contemporary collection called BCBGeneration in 2008. In June 2009, he and

Miley Cyrus Miley Ray Cyrus ( , born Destiny Hope Cyrus, November 23, 1992) is an American singer, songwriter, actress and director. Regarded as a contemporary pop icon, Cyrus has been recognized for her evolving artistry and image reinventions. She is ...

teamed up to create a line for

Walmart Walmart Inc. (; formerly Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.) is an American multinational retail corporation that operates a chain of hypermarkets (also called supercenters), discount department stores, and grocery stores in the United States and 23 other ...

called Miley Cyrus & Max Azria. Azria designed clothing for Cyrus' 2009 American tour. He left BCBG in 2016 as the company foundered and BCBG Max Azria filed for bankruptcy in 2017. It was sold to Marquee Brands and Global Brands Group in the same year. On May 31, 2017, ZappLight announced that Max Azria joined ZappLight and its parent co Clean Concept LLC as CEO and partner. "Though fashion and technology are inherently different, they increasingly intersect as both are centered on pushing the boundaries of great design and in inspiring and delighting consumers. I am thrilled to be part of this new and exciting venture to grow ZappLight into a global brand, adopted in homes everywhere to prevent virus-carrying insects," Max Azria said in a statement. Entrepreneurial at heart, it was only natural for the 68 year old to dive into a startup rather than retire. ZappLight is a "2-in-1" LED light bulb and bug zapper. ZappLight is disrupting the bug zapper industry that has been around since the 80's. The ZappLight's new spin is combining an LED light that attracts bugs and mosquitoes and functions as an actual light bulb, along with the zapping technology of old. The ZappLight is a bulb and not an entire fixture, meaning that homeowners can install them in any of their open bulb light fixtures outside. BCBG Max Azria Group is a global fashion house with a portfolio including more than 20 brands. Max Azria was the CEO, chairman and head designer and his widow, Lubov Azria is the chief creative officer. As of 2006 there were over 550 BCBG Max Azria boutiques worldwide, including locations in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

, Paris,

Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

;

Santiago, Chile Santiago (, ; ), also known as Santiago de Chile (), is the capital and largest city of Chile and one of the largest cities in the Americas. It is located in the country's central valley and is the center of the Santiago Metropolitan Regi ...

; and

Hong Kong Hong Kong)., Legally Hong Kong, China in international treaties and organizations. is a special administrative region of China. With 7.5 million residents in a territory, Hong Kong is the fourth most densely populated region in the wor ...

. Azria's collections are also sold in specialty stores and major department stores across the globe including

Nordstrom Nordstrom, Inc. () is an American Luxury goods, luxury department store chain headquartered in Seattle, Washington, and founded by John W. Nordstrom and Carl F. Wallin in 1901. The original store operated exclusively as a shoe store, and a seco ...

Saks Fifth Avenue Saks Fifth Avenue (Colloquialism, colloquially Saks) is an American Luxury goods, luxury department store chain founded in 1867 by Andrew Saks. The first store opened in the F Street and 7th Street shopping districts, F Street shopping distric ...

Bergdorf Goodman Bergdorf Goodman Inc. is an American luxury department store based in New York City, founded in 1899 by Herman Bergdorf. , it operates a women's store and a men's store across the street from each other on Fifth Avenue in Midtown Manhattan. ...

Lord & Taylor Lord & Taylor was an American department store chain founded in 1826 by Samuel Lord. It had 86 full-line stores in the Northeastern United States at its peak in the 2000s, and 38 locations at the time of its liquidation in 2021. The Lord & Tay ...

Bloomingdale's Bloomingdale's Inc. is an American luxury department store chain founded in 1861 by Joseph Bloomingdale and Lyman Bloomingdale. It was acquired by Federated Department Stores in 1930, which purchased the Macy's department store chain in 1994, ...

Macy's Macy's is an American department store chain founded in 1858 by Rowland Hussey Macy. The first store was located in Manhattan on Sixth Avenue between 13th and 14th Streets, south of the present-day flagship store at Herald Square on West 34 ...

Dillard's Dillard's, Inc. is an American department store chain with approximately 267 stores in 29 states and headquartered in Little Rock, Arkansas. Currently, the largest number of stores are located in Texas with 57 and Florida with 42. The company a ...

, the UK's

Harvey Nichols Harvey Nichols Group Limited ( trading as Harvey Nichols) is a British luxury department store chain founded in 1831 by Benjamin Harvey; it is headquartered at its flagship store in Knightsbridge, London. It sells designer fashion collections ...

, Hong Kong's Lane Crawford, Taiwan's

Mitsukoshi is an international Department stores in Japan, department store chain with headquarters in Tokyo, Japan. Its holding company, Isetan Mitsukoshi Holdings, is a member of the Mitsui, Mitsui Group. History It was founded in 1673 with the (sho ...

, and Singapore's

Takashimaya is a Japanese multinational corporation operating a department store chain selling a wide array of products, ranging from wedding dresses and other apparel to electronics and flatware. It has more than 12 branches in Japan located in 2 region ...

stores. BCBG Max Azria Group campaigns regularly feature notable models including Eva Herzigova,
''Designscene.net'', Retrieved on August 2, 2010. Karen Elson, and Jessica Stam. The company frequently works with internationally renowned photographers like

Patrick Demarchelier Patrick Demarchelier (; 21 August 1943 – 31 March 2022) was a French fashion photographer. Early life and education Born near Paris in 1943 to a modest family, Demarchelier spent his childhood in Le Havre, Normandy, with his mother and fo ...

, Paolo Roversi, and David Sims. BCBG Max Azria Group clothing is often featured in major fashion publications such as '' Vogue'', ''

InStyle ''InStyle'' is an American monthly women's fashion magazine founded in 1994. It was published in the United States by Dotdash Meredith, and started originally as a brand extension of ''People (magazine), People'' before carving out its own ide ...

,'' and '' Vanity Fair'' in addition to online sites including Style.com and iFashion Network.

Recent history

BCBG Max Azria Group filed for

Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection Chapter 11 of the United States Bankruptcy Code (Title 11 of the United States Code) permits reorganization under the bankruptcy laws of the United States. Such reorganization, known as Chapter 11 bankruptcy, is available to every business, wh ...

on February 28, 2017; it was reported in July 2017 that the brand and its sister labels would be taken over by Marquee Brands and Global Brands Group, which bought the

intellectual property Intellectual property (IP) is a category of property that includes intangible creations of the human intellect. There are many types of intellectual property, and some countries recognize more than others. The best-known types are patents, co ...

rights and assets of the company.

Personal life

Azria was married twice. He was divorced from his first wife with whom he had three children: Michael John Azria (born 1974), Joyce Azria Nassir (born 1981), and Marine Azria (born 1984).People Magazine: "The Max Factor" by Julie K.L. Dam and Samantha Miller
November 22, 1999 Max was married to Lubov Azria, chief creative officer for BCBG Max Azria Group. Lubov was born in

Ukraine Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the List of European countries by area, second-largest country in Europe after Russia, which Russia–Ukraine border, borders it to the east and northeast. Ukraine also borders Belarus to the nor ...

. Max and Lubov had three children: Chloe (born 1993), Nushi (born 1996), and Agnes (born 1997). Max's daughter, Joyce Azria, became the creative director of BCBGeneration in 2009. Max and his family lived in a mansion designed by Paul Williams in Holmby Hills, a neighborhood in Los Angeles.Christina Binkley
Max Azria Faces Losing Control
''The Wall Street Journal'', August 28, 2013 It was formerly owned by the late

Sidney Sheldon Sidney Sheldon (February 11, 1917 – January 30, 2007) was an American writer. He was prominent in the 1930s, first working on Broadway plays, and then in motion pictures, notably writing the successful comedy '' The Bachelor and the Bobby-Sox ...

, a writer.

Death

Azria died of lung cancer at a hospital in

Houston Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...

on May 6, 2019; he was 70.

References

External links

Official BCBG Max Azria website
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Azria, Max 1949 births 2019 deaths American people of Tunisian-Jewish descent American fashion designers American businesspeople in fashion Businesspeople from Los Angeles California people in fashion Deaths from lung cancer in Texas Jewish American artists Jewish fashion designers People from Sfax Tunisian people of French descent Tunisian emigrants to the United States Tunisian emigrants to France Tunisian Jews Tunisian fashion designers People from Holmby Hills, Los Angeles 20th-century American businesspeople American Mizrahi Jews 21st-century American businesspeople 20th-century American Sephardic Jews 21st-century American Sephardic Jews