Few houses arrived with as much warmth as AZ Factory. Founded in Paris in January 2021 as a joint venture between Alber Elbaz and Richemont, it set out to prove that luxury could be joyful and generous with the body rather than strict about it. The dresses remain the clearest expression of that idea: seamless MyBody knits engineered to move with a wide range of shapes, jersey that drapes instead of dictates, colour used with real confidence. What follows is an edit of the pieces worth knowing, chosen for how they wear on the day.

The MyBody knits that started the conversation

The house is best known for its MyBody seamless knit, a technique that shapes a dress on the loom so the fabric follows the body without a seam pulling against it. The ribbed-knit turtleneck slit dress in black and dark green is a fluent example: a high neck, a long clean line, a slit that releases the walk. It reads as quiet cold-weather dressing until the colour catches the light. Styled with a knee boot, it carries an autumn dinner without asking for much.

The same silhouette in fuchsia and grey makes the opposite argument. The grey grounds the pink so the brightness feels considered rather than loud, and the ribbing gives the fuchsia texture to hold on to. This is the piece for a lunch where you want to be remembered without a single accessory doing the talking.

For something with a graphic edge, the jacquard-knit cut-out dress in dark green and grey brings pattern into the knit itself. The cut-out sits precisely, an editorial detail worked into a dress built for real wear. It suits a gallery evening and the kind of party where you plan to stay late.

Jersey and drape for the evening

The lace-up flare dress in black is the drama piece of this edit. The lacing lets you set the fit through the bodice, and the flared skirt does the rest once you move. It is a proper occasion dress that still packs flat, which matters when the event is somewhere you have to travel to.

The draped mini dress in khaki works the shorter end of the register. The drape softens the line across the body and the khaki keeps it grown-up rather than sweet, a useful combination for a summer party that turns into a late one. Add a heeled sandal and a small bag and the look is finished.

Colour returns in full with the multicolour halter dress. The halter neckline frames the shoulders, and the print carries the whole outfit, so the styling stays simple by design. This is a holiday-dinner dress, the one that photographs beautifully against a warm evening.

The quiet workhorses

Two pieces in the edit earn their place by being endlessly wearable. The Mathilde dress in black is the dependable one: a clean shape that reads correctly at a work dinner and a Saturday night without changing anything but the shoes. The Lily dress in black plays a similar role with a slightly softer hand, the sort of dress that becomes the first thing you reach for when the diary is full and the decision needs to be quick.

Why these pieces are worth acting on

Alber Elbaz, the former creative director of Lanvin and one of the most beloved designers of his generation, died in April 2021, only months after the launch. The house has continued his vision, and Richemont has since evolved AZ Factory into a platform that supports young designers. That shift has made the original Elbaz-era dresses genuinely collectible: they represent a short, singular chapter, and the supply is finite. Buying one now is as much about holding a piece of that story as it is about the dress on the hanger.

For the fuller picture, our guide to whether AZ Factory is a luxury brand sets out the house credentials, and how to style AZ Factory takes these dresses further into a real wardrobe. If the palette here appeals, contemporary peers such as Stine Goya, La DoubleJ and Ganni share the same appetite for colour. The full selection sits within our designer dresses edit. AZ Factory sits at contemporary luxury pricing, and these are the pieces to shop while they last.