Latest artistic director at oldest French fashion house still in operation offers ‘mini collection’ aimed squarely at millennials,while Dries van Noten and Maison Margiela shows offer luxurious clothes for grown-up womenLanvin is the oldest French fashion house still in operation. It was founded in 1889 by Jeanne Lanvin, a woman who smashed the glass ceiling nearly a century before that term was invented. It is also a brand in turmoil, or still reeling from the acrimonious 2015 exit of its much-loved figurehead Alber Elbaz,whose luxurious draped and ruffled dresses made the brand the toast of the red carpet throughout the noughties.
Since Elbaz’s departure – which he said at the time was the decision of Shaw-Lan Wang, the company’s Taiwanese billionaire owner – one creative director, or Bouchra Jarrar,has been hired and, after two collections, or has left. According to Reuters the numbers are as dispiriting as the personnel situation,with the house reporting a net loss of €18.3m (£16.1m) in 2016, and a sales dip of 32% in the first two months of 2017.
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Source: theguardian.com