Lanvin taps Olivier Lapidus to replace Bouchra Jarrar as artistic director

The coming and going of creative/artistic directors at prominent fashion houses has been so frequent over the past few years, it’s almost as if the industry is hosting their own version of musical chairs. The case at Lanvin, however, seems to have escalated to a whole new level.

The Parisian fashion house has recently announced the departure of Bouchra Jarrar, which came as a surprise to many given that she has only been with the label for 16 months following the abrupt dismissal of her predecessor, Alber Elbaz. The decision is reportedly due to a revenue downfall — a significant drop of 23% in sales, to be exact — and Lanvin is wasting no time at all in making changes to the organisation, appointing French designer Olivier Lapidus as Lanvin’s new artistic director, just a few days following the announcement of Jarrar’s exit.

Son of the now-deceased famous French fashion designer Edmond “Ted” Lapidus, the 59-year-old Olivier was the creative director of Balmain Homme from 1985 to 1986, before joining his father’s label, Maison Lapidus, up until it closed down in 2000. He currently runs his own ‘e-couture’ brand, Creation Olivier Lapidus, which he markets as the world’s first web-based couture house. Olivier’s innovative aesthetics and interest in technology are amongst the key reasons behind his appointment.

“Far ahead of his time, Olivier Lapidus has always been interested in new technologies. As a precursor couturier, he now resonates with the aspirations of the company and will be able to take up the challenges of Lanvin in the 21st century,” says Lanvin’s Taiwan-based owner, Shaw-Lan Wang.

Lapidus’s first collection for Lanvin is Summer 2018 women’s ready-to-wear, which is set to debut in Paris this October.