PARIS — Lucas Ossendrijver is exiting
Lanvin, WWD has learned.
The move comes in the wake of sweeping changes at the historic French house
under its new owner Fosun International.
After 13 years at
Lanvin, Ossendrijver’s final collection as its men’s designer is the pre-collection being presented to buyers at the Palais de Tokyo in Paris, according to an industry source.
Lanvin is expected to pull out from the runway calendar for the upcoming Paris Fashion Week Men’s in January, the source said.
Lanvin could not be immediately be reached for comment.
Contacted by phone last Wednesday, Ossendrijver told WWD that he was still at the house, adding: “No further comment for the moment.”
Lanvin has been without a women’s designer since
the departure of Olivier Lapidus last March, and it has yet to make an official announcement regarding his successor.
WWD broke the news on Oct. 8 that Lanvin has settled on Bruno Sialelli, the former head of men’s wear at Loewe, to design its women’s and men’s wear collections. It is understood it is in negotiations with Loewe parent LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton over a non-compete clause.
Finding new design and management leadership has been job number one for
FosunInternational, which acquired the French luxury house in February. Jean-Philippe Hecquet, former chief executive officer of SMCP-owned Sandro, joined Lanvin as ceo in late August.
Ossendrijver has proven a rock through the turbulence at Lanvin, which began with the ousting of former creative director of women’s wear
Alber Elbaz in October 2015, following disagreements between the designer and Lanvin’s former majority shareholder Shaw-Lan Wang over the company’s direction.
Bouchra Jarrar, Elbaz’s successor, left Lanvin after 16 months amid declining sales, while Lapidus exited after only two seasons. The Lanvin design studios prepared a spring 2019 collection for its boutiques and wholesale clients, but the house did not invite press to review the line during Paris Fashion Week.
Known for reinventing men’s wear through the lens of the codes established by Elbaz, Ossendrijver forged an identity of his own at Lanvin, hooked on a youthful approach to tailoring mixing in technical and activewear influences. His spring 2019 collection for the house put the focus on craft, workmanship and know-how.
Prior to Lanvin, Ossendrijver worked at brands including Kenzo and Dior Homme, where he worked under Hedi Slimane for three-and-a-half years. The designer is said to have made the short list of designers considered to succeed Kim Jones as head of men’s wear at Louis Vuitton.
