The Business of Fashion
Agenda-setting intelligence, analysis and advice for the global fashion community.
Agenda-setting intelligence, analysis and advice for the global fashion community.
Lanvin creative director Bruno Sialelli is stepping down as the French house restructures its business to prepare for its next stage of growth.
Sialelli, who has been with the house for four years, is exiting as Lanvin announces the creation of two new divisions to sit alongside the main ready-to-wear men’s and women’s business: a leather goods and accessories department with a dedicated creative team, and Lanvin Lab, a new division dedicated to collaborative projects.
The new organisational structure is designed to support Lanvin’s ongoing turnaround, and comes months after parent Lanvin Group’s public flotation on the US stock exchange in December saw a fresh injection of cash into the business. Leather goods in particular will “assume a central place in the house’s product language,” the brand said, noting that the category now accounts for over half of Lanvin sales.
Meanwhile, Lanvin Lab is designed to facilitate brand partnerships with established and rising industry talents that will complement the main ready-to-wear business, providing “a new space for innovation and collaboration for the house,” according to Siddhartha Shukla, the brand’s deputy general manager. The debut Lanvin Lab tie-up is due to be announced in the coming weeks.
Lanvin is emerging from a period of turbulence. Following the exit of long-time creative director Alber Elbaz in 2015, the brand struggled financially. Widening losses and a revolving door of creative directors left the label on the brink of bankruptcy, before Chinese conglomerate Fosun snapped up the label in 2018 and established a new luxury group Lanvin Group.
Although sales remain far below their 2012 peak of €235 million, Lanvin’s brand revival is gaining momentum. Revenues hit €121 million in 2022, up 67 percent year-on-year.
Sialelli’s successor will be named shortly, the brand said.
The Shanghai-based company has been busily seeking a turnaround at its portfolio of brands including Lanvin, Wolford, and Sergio Rossi ahead of a planned New York IPO. Amid market turmoil, can the group still achieve a bumper exit?
Chief Executive Jean-Philippe Hecquet and Creative Director Bruno Sialelli update BoF exclusively on their turnaround efforts, with new metrics that reveal a return to growth.
As the Chinese-owned luxury group raises fresh funds to fuel a turnaround, it’s contending with a cooling luxury market and a playing field dominated by much larger rivals.
Tamison O’Connor is Luxury Correspondent at The Business of Fashion. She is based in London and covers the dynamic luxury fashion sector.
In partnership with Scott, Audemars Piguet is set to release a limited-edition version of its Royal Oak watch and a capsule collection of co-branded merchandise from the watchmaking house and Cactus Jack Records.
Farfetch’s chief executive José Neves is reportedly conferring with top shareholders, including Richemont and Alibaba, and JP Morgan about delisting the company, The Telegraph reported on Tuesday. A take-private deal could happen imminently as Farfetch’s stock remains under pressure, according to the report. The e-tailer’s share price has plummeted more than 80 percent since its 2018 IPO.
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