Mathilde Favier, Dior's PR director, dies at 57

Mathilde Favier, director of public relations at Christian Dior Couture, died on Monday, in a car accident in western France. She was 57.

Favier's partner, film producer Nicolas Altmayer, 61, also died in the crash. The accident happened around 4 p.m. on the D938 road in Airvault, in the Deux-Sèvres department, when their car collided head-on with a heavy goods vehicle while overtaking another vehicle, according to Nicolas Leclainche, deputy prosecutor at the Niort prosecutor's office, as reported by French regional broadcaster ICI. The prosecutor's office has opened an investigation for involuntary manslaughter by a driver to establish the exact circumstances.

Dior announced the death in a statement describing Favier as "an exceptional woman whose communicative joy, talent and loyalty were exemplary."

“Mathilde loved life with a passion. With the passing of Mathilde, Dior is losing an incredible professional, and I have lost a loyal friend. Her optimism and courage commanded admiration. We will sorely miss her smile and her talent. I feel deeply saddened today; my thoughts are very much with her children, her mother, her sisters, her family, her many friends and her team she loved so much," Delphine Arnault, chairman and chief executive officer of Christian Dior Couture, said in the statement.

Jonathan Anderson, creative director of Dior, said he is "heartbroken" by Favier's passing. " “We all owe so much to her work and dedication. She brought such warmth, energy and was the most positive and uplifting person I have ever met. Mathilde was the very embodiment of elegance and in many ways, the spirit of Couture itself," he said in a statement. Bernard Arnault, CEO of LVMH, said he was “deeply saddened to learn of the tragic and sudden passing of Mathilde Favier, who devoted so many years to putting her passion, energy and talent at the service of the House of Dior." "My heartfelt condolences go to her family and loved ones," Arnault said.

A 13-year career at Dior

Favier had overseen celebrity relations at Christian Dior Couture for 13 years, joining after roles at Glamour magazine and at Italian fashion house Prada. She is the half-sister of Victoire de Castellane, Dior's creative director of fine jewelry; the two got their start in fashion together at French house Chanel through their uncle, Gilles Dufour, who worked alongside designer Karl Lagerfeld. Beyond her Dior role, Favier published two books, "Mathilde à Paris" and "Living Beautifully in Paris."

Altmayer, her partner, was a prominent figure in French cinema in his own right. He produced the "OSS 117" and "Brice de Nice" comedies with actor Jean Dujardin, and co-led production company Mandarin & Compagnie with his brother, Éric.