Yigal Azrouël launched his eponymous women's wear label in 1998 to critical acclaim and by 2000 began his participation in New York Fashion Week. Azrouël defined his aesthetic using high-quality fabrics to drape ultra-feminine, modern silhouettes. In August 2000, Azrouël opened his full-service atelier and showroom in New York's Garment District; the company continues to produce 70% of the collection locally. The success of these early collections allowed Azrouël to open his flagship boutique in February 2003 in New York's Meatpacking District. The store opened as one of the neighborhood's pioneer retail ventures, helping pave the road for the District's evolution into a worldwide fashion destination. The Yigal Azrouël Boutique, and award-winning website, both collaborations with Dror Benshetrit, have been recognized for their unique vision and innovative design.
In July 2004, Yigal Azrouël was inducted into the prestigious Council of Fashion Designers of America for his design talent and has remained an active member. Azrouël, a self taught designer, and who's signature aesthetic can be found in his expert draping, has evolved throughout the years through a myriad of forms and fabrics. His designs are always modern and fresh, with a precise attention to detail. The Fall 2007 season elevated the Yigal Azrouël Collection to a new level of status with the debut of the first full Menswear Collection and capsule Accessories Collection. Simultaneously refined, cool and wearable, the Yigal Azrouël Menswear collection redefines American sportswear and day dressing for the modern man. In 2008, the men's collection garnered Azrouël a nomination from GQ for the Best New Designer in America. In the same year, Azrouël opened a second boutique in the Water Mill, New York and was chosen as the featured designer at Mercedes Benz New York Fashion Week for Fall 2009.
For the Fall 2010 season, the young designer continued to expand his growing business by launching a new contemporary brand concept called Cut25, which earned instant commercial and critical praise worldwide. Yigal Azrouël debuted his first shoe collection during New York Fashion Week at the Women's and Men's Spring 2011 shows, where for the first time he presented the Men's collection individually. He was also personally selected by Dolce&Gabbana to be one of the eight featured designers at Milan's Spiga2 store, which aims to recognize young and emerging designers around the world.
With the designer's global visibility increasing and evolving product portfolio, the Yigal Azrouël online store was launched in September 2010 in partnership with Intersect, a global Internet retailing partner for leading fashion and design brands, specializing in e-commerce, social media and mobile operations. Simultaneously, with the launch of the brand's online store, a strategic social media campaign was also initiated, which includes a blog titled, "Inside The Studio", which is an interactive platform for readers to understand what drives and motivates the inner workings of the company.
Born and raised in Israel of French-Moroccan descent and having traveled to locations metropolitan and remote, Yigal Azrouël draws inspiration from everything and everywhere: art, culture, architecture, nature and his hometown, New York City.
