Lanvin

History

Under Jeanne Lanvin (1889–1946)

Created by Jeanne Lanvin, Lanvin was born in 1867 and had started a small millinery on Rue du Marché Saint Honoré in 1885. The House of Lanvin was created in 1889 with a millinery shop at 16 Rue Boissy-d’Anglas. In 1893, Lanvin acquired 22 Rue du Faubourg Saint Honoré.

In 1897 Lanvin gave birth to her daughter and only child, Marguerite. Marguerite became Lanvin's muse and she started making clothing for Marguerite. This eventually lead to the establishment of a children's clothing line in 1908. Lanvin was the first to create a designer line for children.

In 1909 Lanvin joined the Chambre Syndicale de la Couture, formally making her a couturier. Along with this she expanded to women's clothing. Her styles became known for their femininity and youthful, romantic aesthetic. She is famous for her proprietary shade of inimitable blue nicknamed "Lanvin Blue" inspired by a Fra Angelico fresco she saw, and produced exclusively in her factory at Nantes.

In collaboration with Armand-Albert Rateau, an interior design store was opened in 1920.

In 1921, Jeanne Lanvin and French decorator Armand-Albert Rateau founded Lanvin Décoration, a decorative arts division specializing in interior decoration and furnishings.

Located at 15 Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré in Paris, opposite the Lanvin couture house, the boutique sold furniture, furnishing fabrics, lighting, woodwork, carpets, and other decorative elements for interior design.

Its furniture and decorative objects were produced in workshops established by Rateau in Neuilly-Levallois in 1920, where crafts such as carpentry, cabinetmaking, weaving, gilding, lacquerwork, and sculpture were brought together under one roof.

Their collaboration extended to several major projects between 1921 and 1925, including the Théâtre Daunou, the Lanvin boutiques, and the Pavillon de l’Élégance at the 1925 International Exhibition of Modern Decorative and Industrial Arts in Paris.

After Jeanne Lanvin (1946–present)

When Lanvin died in 1946, her daughter Marguerite (by then known as Countess Marie-Blanche de Polignac) became director of Jeanne Lanvin and Lanvin Parfums. Because Marguerite died childless in 1958 the ownership of the house went to a cousin, Yves Lanvin.

Lanvin Parfums merged with Charles of the Ritz in 1964. The company was purchased by Squibb in 1971, however in 1978 Lanvin was separated from Charles of the Ritz and sold. The Lanvin family kept its ownership of the fashion division.

In 1989 a controlling stake in Lanvin was sold to Midland Bank. Claude Montana then became the designer for the brands haute couture division. His first collection was shown in January 1990.

Orcofi (a holding company of Henry Racamier) and L'Oréal purchased Lanvin in 1990, from Midland Bank and the Lanvin family. L'Oréal increased its ownership of Lanvin in 1994 to a 66% stake, becoming the majority owners. Orofci continued to own a 34% stake in the brand. In 1995 the stake became 94%. Finally in 1996 L'Oréal purchased the entirety of the company.

Claude Montana left the house in 1992 and with this the haute couture line was shuttered.

In 1995 Ocimar Versolato was appointed as designer for the women's ready-to-wear line, he showed his first collection in March 1996. Versolato created an evening wear line under the Lanvin name for Bergdorf Goodman in 1996.

Lanvin was purchased by investor group Harmonie S.A. in August 2001. The group was headed by Taiwanese media magnate Wang Shaw-lan. However, in 2003 Wang bought out the other investors of Harmonie S.A.

Joix Corporatic became the ready-to-wear licence holder in Japan in 2005, with a retail value of €50 million. In Japan, Lanvin clothes are a licence held by Itochu and in 2007 made around $280 million in sales from Lanvin-branded clothes, more than the house made.

Creative directors since 2001

Alber Elbaz

In October 2001, Alber Elbaz was appointed the Lanvin artistic director for all activities, including interiors. His work, characterized by dramatic flowing silhouettes showcasing luxurious fabrics, was critically well received. In 2006, he introduced new packaging for the fashion house, featuring a forget-me-not flower color, Lanvin's favorite shade which she purportedly saw in a Fra Angelico fresco (Suzy Menkes, 2005.).

On 2 September 2010, it was announced by H&M that Lanvin would be their guest designer collaboration for the Winter 2010 collection. The collection would be available to view beginning 4 November 2010 at HM.com. The collection would then be available to buy in 200 stores worldwide, on 20 November, with a first look sale the day before exclusively at the H&M store in Las Vegas. The main face of the collection video was supermodel Natasha Poly.

Lucas Ossendrijver

In 2006, Lucas Ossendrijver was appointed the head of the men's line. The 2006 men's ready-to-wear collection was inspired by a Jean-Luc Godard film. He launched the first LANVIN urban sneakers, now with their patent leather toe caps, while presenting his AW 2006 collections; the shoes later became available in women's collections. While enjoying a revitalized reputation in luxury, Lanvin received mainstream press in the United States in May 2009 when Michelle Obama was photographed wearing a popular line of Lanvin's sneakers made of suede with grosgrain ribbon laces and metallic pink toe caps while volunteering at a Washington, D.C. food bank. The sneaker shoes were reportedly retailed at $540.

Bouchra Jarrar

Bouchra Jarrar was appointed as Creative Director by Lanvin in March 2016. In 2017, and with the preparation of only two ready-to-wear collections, Jarar stepped down from her position. Upon her departure, Lanvin released the following statement: "Lanvin and Bouchra Jarrar have mutually decided to put an end to their collaboration".

Bruno Sialelli

French designer Bruno Sialelli was named the new creative director of Lanvin in January 2019. Lanvin revealed in a statement that Sialelli's appointment marks a "pivotal new direction". Sialelli had worked with Jonathan Anderson at Spanish brand Loewe prior to the appointment and was presumed to be facing "great pressure to turn things around for the Maison." In April 2023 he left Lanvin after four years as creative director.

Peter Copping

In June 2024, Peter Copping was announced as the next artistic director of Lanvin, effective September 2024. His previous work experience includes leading Balenciaga's return to Haute Couture, and creative director positions at Oscar de la Renta and Nina Ricci.

Directors

1946–1950, Lanvin's daughter Marie-Blanche de Polignac, owner and director

1942–1950, Marie-Blanche's cousin Jean Gaumont-Lanvin (Colombes, 1908–Versailles, 1988), director general

1950–1955, Daniel Gorin (Paris, 1891–Paris, 1972), director general

1959, Marie-Blanche's cousin Yves Lanvin, owner; Madame Yves Lanvin, president.

1989–1990, Léon Bressler, chairperson

1990–1993, Michel Pietrini, chairperson

1993–1995, Loïc Armand, chairperson

1995–2001, Gérald Asaria, chairperson

2001–2004, Jacques Lévy, director general

2009–2013, Thierry Andretta

2013–2017, Michèle Huiban

2017–2018, Nicolas Druz

2018–2020, Jean-Philippe Hecquet

2020, Joann Cheng (ad interim)

2021, Arnaud Bazin

2021–2026, Siddhartha Shukla, CEO

2026–2026, Andy Lew (interim)

2026–present, Barbara Werschin

Designers

1946–1958: Marie-Blanche de Polignac, director general and designer

1950–1963: Antonio del Castillo, women's collections

1960–1980: Bernard Devaux, hats, scarves, haute couture; women's "Diffusions" line 1963–1980,

1964–1984: Jules-François Crahay (Liège, 1917–1988), haute couture collections and "Boutique de Luxe"

1972: Christian Benais, men's ready-to-wear collection

1976–1991: Patrick Lavoix, men's ready-to-wear collections

1981–1989: Maryll Lanvin, ready-to-wear, first haute couture in 1985 and women's "Boutique" collections

1989–1990: Robert Nelissen, women's ready-to-wear collections

1990–1992: Claude Montana, five haute-couture collections

1990–1992: Eric Bergère, women's ready-to-wear collections

1992–2001: Dominique Morlotti, women's and men's ready-to-wear collections

1996–1998: Ocimar Versolato, women's ready-to-wear collections

1998–2002: Cristina Ortiz, women's ready-to-wear collections

2002–2015: Alber Elbaz, artistic director of all creative activities

2003–2006: Martin Krutzki, designer of men's ready-to-wear

Advertising

For its advertising campaigns, Lanvin has been working with photographers like Craig McDean (2000) and Steven Meisel (1999, 2012, 2022).