Lanvin Appoints New Artistic Director Four Days After Bouchra Jarrar's Exit

Olivier Lapidus is the new artistic director
of Lanvin. The French designer takes the
place of Bouchra Jarrar, who stepped down
last week after previously helming the
fashion house for 16 months following Alber
Elbaz's exit.
Lapidus' new role is effective immediately,
and Business of Fashion reports he already
started on Monday. Before his new role
under the French fashion house, he was
creative director for Balmain Homme in
1985-1986, joined Maison Lapidus until it
closed in 2000, and designed décor for the
Hotel Felicien in Paris. Recently, he
launched Creation Olivier Lapidus, which he
calls the world's first web-based couture
house.
"It is a great honor to join Lanvin and I
warmly thank Madame Wang for placing
her confidence in me," Lapidus said in a
statement to The Hollywood Reporter, giving
a nod to the brand's Taiwan-based owner
Shaw-Lan Wang.
"With nearly 130 years of history, Lanvin is
the oldest French couture house. To ensure
its longevity is an immense task and an
exciting challenge," he added. Though he
intends to preserve the fashion house's
legacy, sources tell BoF that Lapidus plans to
revamp the brand as "a French Michael
Kors."
In addition to having a new designer, the
label is also reportedly moving its
headquarters from Paris' Rue Boissy
d'Anglas—where Jeanne Lanvin originally
founded the atelier in 1889—to the city's
Levallois suburb later this year. The major
changes arrive after the brand saw sales
drop 23 percent in 2016 and 35 percent in
the first two months of 2017.
Lanvin and Bouchra Jarrar have not yet
commented on the news of Lapidus'
appointment.
Bella Hadid walks in Lanvin's Fall 2017 show during
Bouchra Jarrar's tenure at the fashion house.

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