Mathilde Favier, the longtime public relations director at Christian Dior Couture, died Monday in a automobile accident in western France. She was 57.Her accomplice, French movie producer Nicolas Altmayer, 61, additionally died within the crash.The accident happened at round 4 p.m. on the D938 highway in Airvault, in France’s Deux-Sèvres division. In response to Nicolas Leclainche, deputy prosecutor on the Niort prosecutor’s workplace, their automobile collided head-on with a heavy items car whereas overtaking one other car. The prosecutor’s workplace has opened an investigation into potential involuntary manslaughter to find out precisely what occurred.Dior confirmed Favier’s dying in an announcement, remembering her as “an distinctive lady” whose heat, expertise and loyalty left an enduring mark on the home.“Mathilde liked life with a ardour,” Delphine Arnault, chairman and CEO of Christian Dior Couture, mentioned. “With the passing of Mathilde, Dior is dropping an unbelievable skilled, and I’ve misplaced a loyal good friend.”Arnault additionally praised Favier’s optimism and braveness, saying her smile and expertise could be deeply missed, and supplied her condolences to Favier’s youngsters, mom, sisters, household, buddies and the Dior staff she cared for thus deeply.Jonathan Anderson, Dior’s inventive director, mentioned he was “heartbroken” by her dying. He credited Favier with bringing heat and vitality to her work and described her as some of the optimistic individuals he had recognized.“Mathilde was the very embodiment of magnificence and in some ways, the spirit of Couture itself,” Anderson mentioned.LVMH chairman and CEO Bernard Arnault additionally paid tribute, saying he was “deeply saddened” by Favier’s sudden dying and remembering the fervour, vitality and expertise she had dedicated to Dior over a few years.
A 13-year profession at Dior
Favier spent 13 years main superstar relations at Christian Dior Couture. Earlier than becoming a member of the style home, she labored at Glamour journal and at Italian luxurious label Prada.Trend was additionally a part of her household. Favier was the half-sister of Victoire de Castellane, Dior’s inventive director of effective jewellery. The 2 started their careers in vogue at Chanel, the place they labored by means of their uncle, Gilles Dufour, a longtime collaborator of designer Karl Lagerfeld.Favier additionally wrote two books, Mathilde à Paris and Residing Fantastically in Paris, reflecting her curiosity in vogue, interiors and Parisian life past her work at Dior.Altmayer was a widely known determine in French cinema. He produced standard comedies together with OSS 117 and Brice de Good, each starring Jean Dujardin, and co-led the manufacturing firm Mandarin & Compagnie along with his brother, Éric.Favier’s dying marks a big loss for Dior, the place she had spent greater than a decade constructing relationships with celebrities, journalists and figures throughout the style world. For individuals who labored together with her, although, the tributes have targeted as a lot on her persona as on her profession: her heat, vitality, loyalty and unmistakable enthusiasm for all times.
