About
BCBGMAXAZRIAGROUP is taking the world by storm.
With critically acclaimed collections, a loyal
following of Hollywood's top celebrities and a
strong worldwide presence, this fashion powerhouse
has evolved into one of the hottest names in the
fashion industry today. Continuously expanding
while defining trends, Max Azria has let the
industry know that he is indeed building a global
empire.
Founded in 1989, BCBGMAXAZRIAGROUP is the lifetime
vision of one man: Founder, Designer, Chairman and
Chief Executive Officer Max Azria. In 1981, after
eleven years of designing a line of women's wear
in his native Paris, Azria moved to the United
States and launched Jess, a series of new-concept
retail boutiques offering hip French fashion to
American women. After years of success, Azria
decided to pursue his dream of launching a design
house that spoke to the modern woman-thus
BCBGMAXAZRIA was born. Named for the French phrase
"bon chic, bon genre," a Parisian slang meaning
"good style, good attitude," the brand embodies a
true combination of European sophistication and
American spirit.
Key to BCBGMAXAZRIA's success has been Azria's
ability to maintain his creativity while
maximizing his keen business sense. As one of
today's rare breed of designer-businessmen, Azria
used his talent to create a new platform in the
industry. With the launch of the BCBGMAXAZRIA
brand, he redefined the designer category by
offering innovative, high-quality clothing at
contemporary price points. As a result, Azria was
inducted into the Council of Fashion Designers of
America (CFDA) in 1998.
Determined to realize his vision, Azria built upon
the success of his women's ready-to-wear line and
created a lifestyle brand consisting of multiple
high-fashion collections for women, including
evening dresses, denim, outerwear, footwear,
swimwear, handbags and small leather goods. He
introduced additional product categories through a
series of licensing agreements with some of the
industry's most reputable companies, including the
world leader in men's shirting, Philips-Van Heusen
Corporation, for men's dress shirts and ties,
launched in Summer 2004. This licensing deal was
closely followed by similar agreements with Geneva
Watch Co. for women's watches, VCS Group Inc. for
footwear, Neema Clothing Ltd. for suits and suit
separates and ClearVision for optical eyewear in
Spring 2005.
Reinforcing BCBGMAXAZRIA as a premiere American
fashion brand, Azria successfully launched his
collection on the runway for the first time during
New York's Fall 1996 Fashion Week. The following
season, The New York Times hailed, "Mr. Azria
imbued his collection with worldly elan." In
February 2006, in response to both his critical
success and the needs and aspirations of his most
discerning customers, Azria launched an exclusive
runway designer collection called Max Azria. The
collection allows Azria to explore his creativity
full force, ultimately resulting in a line of
directional, sophisticated designs in the most
luxurious fabrics. Celebrities such as Angelina
Jolie, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Rachel Bilson and
Eva Mendes have become fans of the brands and list
BCBGMAXAZRIA and Max Azria as staples in their
wardrobes.
At the other end of his design spectrum is Azria's
highly exclusive collection of couture gowns,
launched in February 2004 under the label Max
Azria Atelier. Taking inspiration from the glamour
and sensuality of Hollywood, Azria creates opulent
and elegant one-of-a-kind gowns for celebrity
clients and red-carpet events. Sharon Stone, Halle
Berry, Demi Moore, Beyonc矋nowles, Lucy Liu and
Fergie have walked the red carpet wearing Max
Azria Atelier.
In 1998 BCBGMAXAZRIAGROUP acquired the Herve Leger
fashion house, marking the first time in history
that a French couturier had been absorbed by an
American designer. Azria relaunched the Herve
Leger label in early 2007 with his own designs,
which have since been embraced by celebrities such
as Kate Winslet, Victoria Beckham, Alicia Keys and
Catherine Zeta-Jones. For Fall 2008, in addition
to showing BCBCMAXAZRIA and Max Azria during New
York Fashion Week, Azria presented his Herve Leger
by Max Azria collection. This marked the first
time that an American designer produced three
major fashion shows for three distinct collections
during one New York fashion week.
The Fall 2008 season also witnessed the merging of
the BCBGirls and To The Max collections to create
one, comprehensive, young-contemporary lifestyle
brand named BCBGeneration (pronounced BCBG
Generation), which is designed for women of all
generations seeking fashion that balances a
feminine, sexy aesthetic with an eclectic and
urban sensibility. In Fall 2009, Azria again
expanded the Group with a new collaborative
collection with teen superstar Miley Cyrus named
Miley Cyrus