Bruno Sialelli exits Lanvin

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Lanvin creative director Bruno Sialelli is exiting the French brand amid a restructuring that will see it partner with rising design talents, and double down on its leather goods business.

The brand is introducing two new entities, alongside the development of its main ready-to-wear collections for men and women: the first, Lanvin Lab, is described as “an experimental space inviting creative partnerships with proven and rising international talents — the first to be announced in the coming weeks”. The second is a separate leather goods and accessories division, which will be supported by a new creative team. (Leather goods account for over half of Lanvin’s global revenue.)

Lanvin is the latest in a line of brands to experiment with a new creative setup. Lacosterecently announced it would shift to a collective model for its designs, overseen by a creative design director.

“[Lanvin’s] design approach will be reframed around a singular vision and creative strategy driven by the alchemy in Lanvin’s heritage meeting next-generation innovation,” the company said in a statement on Friday. It is understood that the main collections will still have a creative director, who will, like the Lanvin Lab guest talent, be announced in the coming weeks.

Sialelli joined Lanvin in 2019 from Loewe where he was head of menswear (his resume also includes Paco Rabanne, Acne Studios and Balenciaga). His latest co-ed collection for Lanvin, presented in March at Paris Fashion Week, hada more toned-down vibe thanin previous seasons— though the attendance of brand ambassador and superstar Cheng Yi created a stir. A pre-collection released in June last year, designed by the Lanvin studio, marked the beginning of a new merchandising strategy, bringing together menswear and womenswear.

“Lanvin is poised for a new chapter,” said the brand’s deputy general manager, Siddhartha Shukla, in the statement today. “As we reimagine the brand, embracing the values instilled in it by Jeanne Lanvin over 130 years ago, we situate the house at the vanguard of fashion and culture at a time of extraordinary and inspiring change. Our model exalts Lanvin’s rich heritage and sophistication in a uniquely modern matrix of creativity.”

Sialelli commented: “I am deeply proud of what we have achieved at Lanvin over the past four years and wish to thank Lanvin and my team who through their unique talents and dedication, have accompanied me in this great adventure.”

Lanvin has had a few rocky years since the ousting of star designer Alber Elbaz in 2015. Owner Shaw-Lan Wang appointed Bouchra Jarrar to the creative helm. However, Jarrar left after two seasons, and was succeeded by Olivier Lapidus, who in turn left after two seasons. Sales plunged.

Shukla has led a reboot since he joined Lanvin in December 2021. The brand, which is owned by China’s Lanvin Group (formerly Fosun Fashion Group), posted sales of €121.3 million in 2022, up 67 per cent on the year prior. The group — which also includes Austrian skinwear specialist Wolford, menswear brand Caruso and Italian shoemaker Sergio Rossi —debuted on the New York Stock Exchange in December following a merger with Primavera Capital Acquisition Corporation, a blank-cheque company, and was valued at $1.31 billion.

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