Lanvin Appoints Bruno Sialelli Artistic Director

PARIS — Lanvin has appointed Bruno Sialelli artistic director, signaling new direction for the historic French house.

The news confirms a report in WWD in October that Sialelli was in talks with Lanvin.

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“His singular and very personal vision, his audacity, his culture, his energy and ability to build a strong creative team definitely convinced us,” said Lanvin chief executive officer Jean-Philippe Hecquet.

The Fosun Fashion Group-owned label cited the designer’s “youthful translation” of its storied heritage along with his ability to navigate between men’s and women’s wear among reasons for settling on the designer in a process that involved an “incredible array” of candidates for the position.

The former Loewe men’s wear designer worked under the direction of J.W. Anderson. He has also worked at Balenciaga, with Nicolas Ghesquière and Alexander Wang, as well as Acne Studios, where he was the senior designer for women’s wear, and Paco Rabanne.

“His proven ability to seamlessly transition between men’s wear and women’s wear will stand Lanvin in great stead as luxury fashion increasingly blurs the boundaries between the sexes,” the company said in a press release.

As WWD reported in October, Lanvin was in talks with the designer for the job after recruiting Hecquet, an industry veteran who previously headed Sandro and worked in various positions at LVMH Mo?t Hennessy Louis Vuitton.

Finding a new design and management leadership has been the most pressing task for Fosun International, which acquired Lanvin in February last year, following a long period of tumult.

“We are excited to see the dynamism that will be brought to this great house through the complementary combination of Bruno’s creative talent with Jean-Philippe’s energetic and singular corporate direction,” noted Fosun chairman Joann Cheng in the statement.

The house has seen a succession of designers since dismissing creative director Alber Elbaz in October 2015. Bouchra Jarrar, his successor, left Lanvin after 16 months amid declining sales. Lapidus exited in March last year, after only two seasons. His departure coincided with that of general manager Nicolas Druz, following the ownership change.

The house’s design studios, whose members are believed to include former Ungaro alum Estrella Archs, prepared a spring 2019 collection for its boutiques and wholesale clients, but did not invite press to review the line during Paris Fashion Week.

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