Virgil Abloh was born in Rockford, Illinois in 1980. After earning a degree in civil engineering from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, he completed a master’s degree in architecture at the Illinois Institute of Technology. In 2012, Abloh’s label, Off-White, began in the form of an artwork titled “PYREX VISION,” and the following year Off-White was introduced as a seasonal men’s and women’s fashion brand that also began producing furniture. In 2017, Abloh was nominated for the Swarovski Award for Emerging Talent at the CFDA Awards, and in 2018 he was nominated for both Womenswear Designer of the Year and Menswear Designer of the Year at the CFDA Awards. Later in 2018, Abloh was named artistic director of menswear at Louis Vuitton.

Abloh has presented his work at major art and design institutions around the globe, including the Harvard Graduate School of Design; the Columbia Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation; and the Rhode Island School of Design. This summer, a major exhibition of his past and current work goes on view at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago.

Alber Elbaz, designer, was born in Casablanca, Morocco, and raised in Israel from the age of 1. He studied at the Shenkar College of Engineering and Design. In 1985, he started his work in fashion in New York with the iconic designer Geoffrey Beene, staying on for seven years as Head Designer. In 1996, Alber became the Design Director at Guy Laroche in Paris, before succeeding Monsieur Yves Saint-Laurent at YSL as Creative Director of Rive Gauche from 1998 to 2000.

 In 2001, Alber started his 14-year tenure as Creative Director at Lanvin, earning critical and commercial success for the house, and cementing a worldwide reputation as a beloved designer. In 2019, he announced AZ Fashion in partnership with Richemont. AZ Fashion is his return to the work and the people he loves. It will also manifest his dynamic new approach to innovation and design, as well as his unshakable attention to the real needs of women globally.  

 Alber’s honors and recognitions are wide-reaching and significant. They include the International Award from the CFDA in 2005; the Chevalier of the Légion d’Honneur as well as Time Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People In The World distinctions in 2007; an honorary doctorate from the Royal College of Art in London in 2014; and he was made Officier of the Légion d’Honneur in 2016. Alber resides in Paris, but always remains a citizen of the world.

Daniel Lee was born and raised in Bradford, England. From a young age, Lee was very dedicated to his academics, and what he loved most was “making things.” Eventually his creativity and dedication led him to study at Central Saint Martins, while also completing internships at Martin Margiela and Balenciaga. After graduating in 2011, he went to work for Donna Karan in New York City, where he stayed for two years, before being tapped as ready-to-wear design director at Céline under Phoebe Philo. In 2018, he was appointed creative director at Bottega Veneta.  Lee’s stated mission is “to maintain the codes of the house—craftsmanship, quality and sophistication—while imbuing them with a new perspective and modernity.”

According to Kering Chief Executive and Chairman François-Henri Pinault, “his work is characterised by great rigour, a mastery of studio expertise, a true passion for materials and an energy that I cannot wait to see take shape at Bottega Veneta.”