ch-ch-ch-changes

Lanvin Parts Ways With Artistic Director Olivier Lapidus

A model at Lanvin fall/winter 2018. Photo: Alessandro Lucioni/Imaxtree

After just two seasons, Lanvin is parting ways with artistic director Olivier Lapidus, who just showed his second collection in Paris. The French house, which has suffered in the past couple years, also is saying good-bye to general manager Nicolas Druz.

Lanvin, France’s oldest fashion house, was bought by Fosun fashion group last month, which also owns Club Med. Joann Cheng, the president of Fosun, will be the interim CEO of Lanvin. These are the first shakeups the Chinese group is bringing to the label.

“Olivier steered the maison through a transitional period between ownerships,” Cheng said, per WWD. “We thank him for that, and wish him every success for his own brand and future endeavors.”

Lapidus was the third creative director for Lanvin in three years, following Bouchra Jarrar’s short tenure after Alber Elbaz left the brand in 2015. His collections at the label were not well received. Robin Givhan titled her review of his first Lanvin collection, “There Is Just No Excuse for This Ugly, Boring Fashion.” Cathy Horyn suggested after his most recent show that Lanvin find new talent. Until Lapidus’s replacement is named, the womenswear collections will be designed by an in-house team.

Lanvin Parts Ways With Artistic Director Olivier Lapidus