Lanvin Appoints New Creative Director
Bruno Sialelli has been appointed as the new artistic director of the oldest fashion house in Paris, Lanvin. He succeeds Olivier Lapidus, who left the post in March 2018, following the acquisition of the company by the Chinese conglomerate Fosun International.
31-year-old Sialelli comes from the Loewe brand, where he worked under Jonathan Anderson as director of design of the men's collection. During his career, he has held senior positions at Acne, Paco Rabanne, and Balanciaga (under the direction of Nicolas Ghesquière and Alexander Wang). Today, he aims to relaunch the emblematic brand of the little black dress, which found itself in trouble after the departure of its star designer Alber Elbaz in 2015.
In 2012, Lanvin announced a turnover amounting to more than 235 million euros (S$363 million). After the departure of Elbaz, the luxury house is no longer profitable for the first time in 10 years and has reported a loss of 18.3 million euros. In 2017, losses were at 27 million euros. Elbaz was replaced by Bouchra Jarrar in 2016, who, faced with falling sales and lack of investment, abdicated his duties 16 months later. Olivier Lapidus replaced her for less than a year.
Jean Philippe Hecquert, general manager of Lanvin since August, announced his enthusiasm about the new appointment, because Sialelli’s collections according to him "will bring back to life this marvellous and unique house, and (...) will know how to move again and enthral our customers. His extraordinary and very personal vision, his audacity, his culture, his energy and his ability to assemble a solid team convinced us.”
Sialelli will take care of the women's and men's collections of the house, an effort that will require a restart of the brand from a creative point of view. The new owners are developing strategies to mitigate losses and make the company profitable, hence the appointment. As for Sialelli, he should display his first collection very soon, during the next Paris Fashion Week.
