Who Was Mathilde Favier? Dior PR Director Dies at 57 in France Car Crash
Mathilde Favier, the longtime public relations director for Christian Dior Couture, died Monday, Aug. 17, in a car crash in western France alongside her partner, French film producer Nicolas Altmayer. She was 57.
The crash happened at about 4 p.m. on the D938 road in Airvault, in France’s Deux-Sèvres department, when the couple’s vehicle collided head-on with a heavy goods vehicle while overtaking another car, according to Nicolas Leclainche, deputy prosecutor at the Niort prosecutor’s office.
Authorities have opened an investigation into involuntary manslaughter by a driver to determine the exact circumstances of the collision.
Dior announced Favier’s death Tuesday, Aug. 18, describing it as an “accidental death” and praising the impact she had on the reputation of Christian Dior Couture.
Mathilde Favier’s 13-Year Career at Dior
Favier joined Dior in 2011 after working at Italian fashion house Prada and at Glamour magazine.
At Dior, she became one of the key figures managing relationships between the couture house and its celebrity ambassadors, helping coordinate the brand’s high-profile presence around stars and major fashion events.
Her role placed her at the center of Dior’s relationship with prominent figures in entertainment and fashion.
She worked with ambassadors and clients including Natalie Portman, Rihanna and Jennifer Lawrence, while also helping bring celebrities such as Blackpink’s Jisoo and Anya Taylor-Joy into Dior’s orbit.
Favier was also part of a notable Paris fashion family.
Her half-sister, Victoire de Castellane, is Dior’s creative director of fine jewelry.
The sisters began their careers at Chanel alongside their uncle Gilles Dufour, who worked closely with Karl Lagerfeld.
She Was More Than a Dior Executive
Away from Dior, Favier became known for her deep connections across Paris’ fashion, art, design and entertainment circles.
In 2024, she published Living Beautifully in Paris, a coffee-table book that offered an insider’s view of the city through its people, private spaces and cultural institutions.
Publisher Rizzoli described Favier as Dior Couture’s public relations director and a figure with an extensive network across fashion, beauty, art, interior design and gastronomy.
Her public profile reflected the unusual reach of her work.
A 2024 profile described her as a behind-the-scenes figure who frequently appeared alongside Dior’s celebrity clients and ambassadors, making her recognizable well beyond the traditional world of fashion public relations.
Dior Leaders Pay Tribute
Dior CEO Delphine Arnault remembered Favier as both a close friend and an important professional presence.
“Mathilde loved life with a passion,” Arnault said in a statement. “With the passing of Mathilde, Dior is losing an incredible professional, and I have lost a loyal friend.”
She also praised Favier’s optimism and courage and extended her condolences to Favier’s children, mother, sisters, family, friends and Dior team.
Dior creative director Jonathan Anderson said he was “heartbroken” by her death, adding that Favier brought “warmth, energy” and positivity to those around her.
He described her as “the very embodiment of elegance” and, in many ways, the spirit of couture itself.
LVMH chairman and CEO Bernard Arnault also mourned Favier, saying she had devoted years of passion, energy and talent to Dior.
Nicolas Altmayer Also Died in the Crash
Favier’s partner, Nicolas Altmayer, 61, was killed in the same collision.
Altmayer was a prominent French film producer who co-led Mandarin & Compagnie with his brother, Éric, and was associated with popular films including Brice de Nice and the OSS 117 comedy franchise.
Favier was a major force behind Dior’s celebrity and public image, while Altmayer was an established figure in French cinema.
For now, the French investigation remains focused on establishing how the fatal collision occurred.
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