Hervé L. Leroux

Biography

Hervé L Leroux (30 May 1957 – 6 October 2017) was a French fashion designer and founder of the Hervé Leger fashion house.

Two years later Leroux turned his attention to the world of hairdressing, becoming a qualified hairstylist working for Jean-Marc Maniatis. His first show was doing hair backstage at Chloé. From there, beginning in 1978, he began making hats and bags. 

After creating some hats for a Tan Giudicelli show, he was invited to work on a handful of dresses, an initial taste of dressmaking that led Giudicelli to suggest he drop hairstyling and turn his energies to clothes. 

In 1980, he met Karl Lagerfeld and, three days later, was hired to work as his assistant, initially at Fendi in Rome for two years, and then at Chanel, in Paris, where he was senior assistant designer for their first two ready-to-wear collections.

After Chanel, he went out on his own in 1985, setting up a small studio and store on Rue du Pélican near the Palais-Royal in central Paris, making dresses and hats. He also began a series of consultancies, working as a freelance haute couture designer at Lanvin under the direction of Maryll Lanvin, at Diane Von Furstenberg, designing accessories at the newly launched Daniel Swarovski, and shoes at Charles Jourdan.

As creative director of Paris-based house Guy Laroche from 2004-2006, he dressed Hilary Swank for her 2005 Oscar appearance in a backless midnight-blue jersey dress. In 2007, the firm branched into ready-to-wear.

In November 2012, Leroux teamed with the NYC-based, boutique fragrance brand Joya to create a candle that comes in a matte black glass container cut on a slant to mimic a bias drape.