Lanvin (clothing)

Lanvin is a high fashion house founded by Jeanne Lanvin.

History

November 1915 Lanvin design shown in the United States.

Lanvin made such beautiful clothes for her daughter Marie-Blanche that they began to attract the attention of a number of wealthy people who requested copies for their own children. Soon, Lanvin was making dresses for their mothers, and some of the most famous names in Europe were included in the clientele of her new boutique on the rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré, Paris. 1909, Lanvin joined the Syndicat de la Couture, which marked her formal status as a couturière.

From 1923, the Lanvin empire included a dye factory in Nanterre. In the 1920s, Lanvin opened shops devoted to home decor, menswear, furs and lingerie, but her most significant expansion was the creation of Lanvin Parfums SA in 1924 and the introduction of "My Sin" in 1925 widely considered a unique fragrance, an animalic-aldehyde based on heliotrope, which would be followed by her signature fragrance Arpège in 1927, inspired by the sound of her daughter's practicing her scales on the piano.

One of the most influential designers of the '20s and '30s, Jeanne Lanvin's skillful use of intricate trimmings, virtuoso embroideries and beaded decorations in clear, light, floral colors became a Lanvin trademark.

When Lanvin died in 1946, ownership of the firm was ceded to the designer's daughter, who had shared management of the firm from 1942 with a cousin and then a fashion-industry expert. Because Marie-Blanche de Polignac was childless when she died in 1958, the ownership of the House of Lanvin went to a cousin, Yves Lanvin. (See Directors and Officers Since Jeanne Lanvin below.)

From mid-60's through to the takeover by L'Oreal, Lanvin was run by Bernard Lanvin. The export department was in the original factory in Nanterre where all the perfumes were made and bottled. The administrative Head Office was in Paris at 3, Rue de Tilsitt. In 1979 Lanvin bought its independence from Squibb USA and a major PR promotional tour was arranged by Paris in the United States in the same year.

Britain Midland Bank bought a stake in the company from the family in March 1989, and installed Léon Bressler to revamp the firm's faded image. However, in February 1990, Midland backed out and sold Lanvin to Orcofi, a French holding company led by the Vuitton family. From Orcofi, 50% of the House of Lanvin was acquired by L'Oréal in 1994, 66% in 1995 and 100% in 1996. Under L'Oréal's diverse umbrella, an array of CEOs who circulate within the French fashion industry have directed the company.

In August 2001, Lanvin, the oldest fashion house still in operation,^{[citation needed]} was taken private again by investor group Harmonie S.A., headed by Mrs. Shaw-Lan Wang, a Taiwanese media magnate. And, October 2001, Alber Elbaz was appointed the Lanvin artistic director for all activities, including interiors. In 2006, he introduced new packaging for the fashion house, featuring a forget-me-not flower color, Lanvin's favorite shade which she purportedly saw in a Fra Angelico fresco (Suzy Menkes, 2005.) In 2006, Lucas Ossendrijver was appointed the head of the men's line, which debuted with great success, strengthening Lanvin's brand.

While enjoying a revitalized reputation in luxury, Lanvin received mainstream press in the United States in May 2009 when Michelle Obama was photographed wearing a popular line of Lanvin's sneakers made of suede with grosgrain ribbon laces and metallic pink toe caps while volunteering at a Washington, D.C. food bank. The sneakers were reportedly retailed at $540.

On December 4, 2009, Lanvin opened their first US boutique in Bal Harbour, Florida.

Lanvin For H&M

On September 2, 2010, it was announced by H&M that Lanvin would be their guest designer collaboration for the Winter 2010 collection. The collection would be available to view beginning November 4, 2010 at HM.com. The collection would then be available to buy in 200 stores worldwide, on November 20, with a first look sale the day before exclusively at the H&M store in Las Vegas. The main face of the collection video was supermodel Natasha Poly

Directors and Officers Since Jeanne Lanvin

• 1946–1950, Lanvin's daughter Marie-Blanche de Polignac, owner and director
• 1942–50, Marie-Blanche's cousin Jean Gaumont-Lanvin (Colombes, 1908–Versailles, 1988), director general
• 1950–1955, Daniel Gorin (Paris, 1891–Paris, 1972), director general
• 1959, Marie-Blanche's cousin Yves Lanvin, owner; Madame Yves Lanvin, president.
• 1989–1990, Léon Bressler, chairperson
• 1990–1993, Michel Pietrini, chairperson
• 1993–1995, Loïc Armand, chairperson
• 1995–2001, Gérald Asaria, chairperson
• 2001–2004, Jacques Lévy, director general

Designers Since Jeanne Lanvin

• 1946–1958, Marie-Blanche de Polignac, director general and designer
• 1950–1963, Castillo (b. Antonio Canovas del Castillo del Rey, 1908– d. 1984), women's collections
• 1960–1980, Bernard Devaux, hats, scarves, haute couture; women's "Diffusions" line 1963–1980,
• 1964–1984, Jules-François Crahay (Liège, 1917–1988), haute couture collections and "Boutique de Luxe"
• 1972, Christian Benais, men's ready-to-wear collection
• 1976–1991, Patrick Lavoix, men's ready-to-wear collections
• 1981–1989, Maryll Lanvin, ready-to-wear, first haute couture in 1985 and women's "Boutique" collections
• 1989–1990, Robert Nelissen, women's ready-to-wear collections
• 1990–1992, Claude Montana, five haute-couture collections
• 1990–1992, Eric Bergère, women's ready-to-wear collections
• 1992–2001, Dominique Morlotti, women's and men's ready-to-wear collections
• 1996–1998, Ocimar Versolato, women's ready-to-wear collections
• 1998–2002, Cristina Ortiz, women's ready-to-wear collections
• From 2002, Alber Elbaz, artistic director of all creative activities
• From 2003, Martin Krutzki, designer of men's ready-to-wear
• 2005–present, Lucas Ossendrijver, Designer of men's ready-to-wear

External links

• Lanvin home page
• Lanvin Parfums fragrances home page