Nicolas Altmayer, a French film producer, died in a car crash on Monday. The same crash also killed Mathilde Favier, one of Dior’s longtime public relations executives, and Dior revealed her accidental death on Tuesday.
Favier’s role at Dior women put her at the center of VIP relations and made her a visible figure beyond the company. Her Instagram account had 242,000 followers, and in 2024 she released the coffee-table book Living Beautifully in Paris.
Dior’s Tuesday statement
Dior described Favier as “an exceptional woman whose communicative joy, talent and loyalty were exemplary.” Bernard Arnault said, “I 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” and added, “My heartfelt condolences go to her family and loved ones.”
Delphine Arnault said, “Mathilde loved life with a passion,” and added, “Dior is losing an incredible professional, and I have lost a loyal friend.” She also said, “Her optimism and courage commanded admiration,” “We will sorely miss her smile and her talent,” and “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.”
Mathilde Favier at Dior
Favier had recently worked as international PR director for Dior women, where her responsibilities included VIP relations with Rihanna and Jennifer Lawrence. She was also the half-sister of Victoire de Castellane, Dior’s jewelry creative director, and got an internship at Chanel as a teenager through her uncle Gilles Dufour, who worked alongside Karl Lagerfeld.
J.J. Martin wrote on Dior’s account that Favier “is, was and forever will be a way-shower in this industry. Pure light. Pure joy.” The accident leaves two connected names from the same world gone in a single day, while the public record now rests on the crash itself and the company’s description of Favier’s death as accidental.
Nicolas Altmayer and Mathilde Favier
The open question is what caused the car accident that killed Nicolas Altmayer and Mathilde Favier. For now, the facts that matter most are plain: Altmayer died on Monday, Dior spoke on Tuesday, and the company’s tribute placed Favier’s work, reach, and sudden loss at the center of the story.
