For over a year, the world has suffered immeasurably from a pandemic that’s taken many loved ones away. Additionally, terminal illness and natural causes have claimed others which have left a void in our lives. For this reason, I’ve chosen to give tribute to four fashion icons we lost last year.
Jessica McClintock (06/19/30-02/16/21)
Jessica Gagnon McClintock was born in Maine, the daughter of a shoe salesman and a beautician. Encouraged by her mother and tutored by her artist grandmother, she pursued her dream of becoming a dress designer. She earned her degree from San Jose State University in California, and during and after her two marriages, she taught elementary school.
In 1969, McClintock transitioned from teaching to form the Gunne Sax Company. Her designs highlighted romance and femininity through calico prints, flowing prairie-style dresses and soft pastel colors. McClintock’s dresses were the first choice for proms, graduations, engagements and weddings. Her designs appeared in many retail stores in the United States and worldwide in addition to her self-owned boutiques, and her business expanded to include accessories, home and fragrance with the help of her son, Scott. In 2013, at the age of 83, McClintock quietly retired, but the brand continued, celebrating 50 years in business in 2020.
McClintock died in San Fransisco of natural causes at 90 years old.
Alber Elbaz (06/12/61-04/25/21)
Alber Elbaz was born in Casablanca, Moroc- co and raised in Israel. After studying at the Shenkar College of Engineering and Design, he moved to New York City to begin his fashion career, first at a bridal firm and later as senior assistant to Geoffrey Beene for seven years.
In 1996, Elbaz moved to Paris to serve as the head of prêt-à-porter at Guy Laroche. Later, he was hired as creative director at Yves Saint Laurent until it was bought by Gucci in 2000. In 2001, he designed for Lanvin and is credited with rejuvenating the house by creating “classic with a twist.” Elbaz has dressed celebrities such as Meryl Streep, Nicole Kidman, Kate Moss and Sofia Coppola, among others. After he was let go from Lanvin in 2015, Elbaz designed costumes for film, collaborated with H&M to create tulle dresses and jeweled necklaces and designed bags and loafers for Tod’s.
Elbaz started his own brand, AZ Factory, in 2021 with a vision for “zip-in and zip-out ease.” Johann Rubert, his business partner, said that Elbaz created his dream of “smart fashion that cares.” Elbaz was awarded the French Legion of Honour in 2016, which is the country’s most prestigious award.
Elbaz died at 59 years old due to complications of COVID-19.
Adolfo Faustino Sardiña (02/15/23- 11/27/21)
Cuban-born Adolfo Faustino Sardiña began his fashion career as an apprentice for Balenciaga. After moving to New York City in 1953, he was the chief designer for Emme, a wholesale milliner. It was there that Sardiña was recognized with a CotY Award and a Neiman Marcus Fashion Award for his millinery designs.
In 1963, he opened his own salon focused on clothing with the help of Bill Blass. At first, Sardiña’s designs were considered too extravagant for American taste — so, influenced by his apprenticeship at Chanel, he drastically changed his approach to be more understated, which created the American style for which he was best known. By the 1970s, Sardiña’s knit day-wear was sold at Saks Fifth Avenue and Neiman Marcus, and his celebrity client list included the Duchess of Windsor, Betsy Bloomingdale and Nancy Reagan.
In 1978, Sardiña launched Adolfo Menswear Inc. and Adolfo Scarves Inc. and introduced a perfume line in the following year. He retired from fashion in 1993 to focus on his licensing business with a brief return to design again in 2014.
He died in November at the age of 98.
Virgil Abloh (09/30/80-11/28/21)
Born in 1980, the Ghanaian American-born Virgil Abloh never claimed to be a designer. Although not formally trained in fashion, Abloh was well-versed in the arts, having earned a master’s degree in architecture, during which he became interested in the fashion industry. After graduation, he took an internship at Fendi, where he and rapper Kanye West became friends — which led to a partnership as creative director for West as well as the establishment of a retail business venture.
Abloh’s most lauded contribution was his Off-White line of nontraditional, iconographic designs, which combined art, music and fashion. He also collaborated with Nike, Jimmy Choo and Jay-Z, among others. Abloh’s game-changing appointment as the first Black artistic director of Louis Vuitton inspired and influenced fashion around the world.
Diane von Furstenberg called Abloh “a visionary and soulful superstar,” and Donna Karen said that he was “a true visionary in every sense of the word.”
Abloh died at the age of 41 from cardiac angiosarcoma, a rare, aggressive form of cancer. He left behind a wife and two children.
These challenging times are not to be forgot- ten, and neither are those who have contributed so much to the creative passion and resilience of the fashion industry.
