Mathilde Favier Dior executive Mathilde Favier and producer Nicolas Altmayer died Monday in a car crash in western France. The two were killed on a departmental road in Airvault, in the Deux-Sèvres region, at around 4 p.m.
The crash involved their vehicle and a heavy goods vehicle traveling in the opposite direction. Nicolas Leclainche, the deputy prosecutor, told AFP that their vehicle "hit a heavy goods vehicle traveling in the opposite direction while they were overtaking another vehicle," and an investigation for involuntary manslaughter by a driver has been opened.
Dior and Mandarin & Compagnie
Favier joined Dior in 2011 and later became director of public relations for Dior Couture. She had previously worked at Prada, where she helped establish the Italian fashion house's Paris press operation, and she worked closely with Natalie Portman, Rihanna, Jennifer Lawrence, Anya Taylor-Joy, Camille Cottin and Jisoo at Dior.
She was 57. Favier also founded Esthétique & Cancer and was the sister of Victoire de Castellane, the Dior Joaillerie creative director. In 2024, she published Mathilde à Paris with Frédérique Dedet.
Altmayer and Favier
Altmayer was 61 and worked as a French producer. His brother Éric Altmayer is his partner in Mandarin & Compagnie, and the two received the César Academy's Daniel Toscan du Plantier Award in 2017.
He was behind OSS 117 and OSS 117: Cairo, Nest of Spies, OSS 117: Lost in Rio, Brice de Nice, Young & Beautiful, The New Girlfriend, Frantz, By the Grace of God, Summer of 85, Everything Went Fine, Saint Laurent, Alpha, Monsieur Aznavour, Jet Set, 3 Zéros, Validé and Mathilde à Paris. François Ozon said, "Shock and sadness. Nicolas Altmayer was a great producer. A supporter and a friend." Fabien Onteniente said, "A great producer has died," and Franck Gastambide said, "For 15 years, he was not only my producer but also my mentor, the father I would have wanted to have," in comments to Le Figaro.
Le Figaro reported that Altmayer and Favier were traveling from Cabourg to the Île de Ré, where Favier owned a home. The involuntary manslaughter investigation now places the driver’s conduct at the center of the case, and the record currently identifies the collision, the location and the people lost, not a charged person.
