Alber Elbaz is leaving Lanvin.
In a statement just distributed by Elbaz, he writes:
“At this time of my departure from Lanvin on the decision of the company’s majority shareholder, I wish to express my gratitude and warm thoughts to all those who have worked with me passionately on the revival of Lanvin over the last 14 years; express my affection to all my wonderful colleagues in the Lanvin ateliers who accompanied me, and who enriched and supported my work. Together, we have met the creative challenge presented by Lanvin and have restored its radiance and have returned it to its rightful position among France’s absolute luxury fashion houses.”
It continues: “I also wish to express my profound and deepest gratitude to all of the clients and friends, to the French and international press, and to all those business partners who collaborated with Lanvin, providing us with support since 2001. I wish the house of Lanvin the future it deserves among the best French luxury brands, and hope that it finds the business vision it needs to engage in the right way forward.”
Elbaz has spent the last 14 years at Lanvin, transforming it from a moribund century-old house into one of Paris’s hottest tickets on the strengths of his dressmaker bona fides and his own charming personality. Prior to Lanvin, he worked under Geoffrey Beene in New York and was the head of Guy Laroche before succeeding the legendary Yves Saint Laurent. His tenure at YSL was cut short when the Gucci Group bought the label and Tom Ford eventually stepped in to design.
The Lanvin split comes on the heels of Raf Simons’s abrupt departure from Dior, and has already set off speculation that Elbaz could be headed to the LVMH label. Elbaz expressed frustration with a fashion system that has turned couturiers into “image-makers” last Thursday when he accepted an award from Meryl Streep at the Fashion Group International’s Night of Stars.
Alber Elbaz talks creativity, street fashion, and more:
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