Dive Brief:
- Lanvin plans to release a collection in collaboration with musician Future, who will serve as the first guest creative director for its new Lanvin Lab incubator project.
- While few details about the upcoming line have been released, Lanvin said in its statement that the upcoming collection is scheduled to be released this winter, and that the collaboration will offer ready-to-wear apparel and accessories for both men and women.
- This will be the first effort out of Lanvin Lab, which announced in its statement that it plans to invite collaborators across a variety of creative fields for additional projects and collections moving forward, and that these collaborations will complement the brand’s traditional seasonal collections.
Dive Insight:
In April, Lanvin’s creative director Bruno Sialelli left the house after four years. His departure signaled a new direction for the brand, which included the creation of the collab-centric Lanvin Lab, plus a new leather goods and accessories division.
Grammy-winning musician Future may be taking his first stab as creative director at a luxury brand, but he’s no stranger to fashion. The Atlanta native has been a staple at the Met Gala, and his fashion bonafides are well-known within the industry. “Rap would never sound, look, or feel the same after Future landed,” said Lanvin in its release. “If you want to know where the culture’s going next, just watch and listen to the iconic Atlanta rapper, singer, and producer. He went from cooking up beats in a basement for the Dungeon Family to generational superstardom with a presence looming from the streets all the way to The Met Gala.”
Late last year, Lanvin Group, which manages Lanvin, Wolford, Sergio Rossi, St. John and Caruso, debuted on the New York Stock Exchange. Yet the company struggled financially and lagged behind luxury rivals in both sales and consumer appeal since the departure of longtime creative director Alber Elbaz in 2015. In 2018, the house of Lanvin, founded in France in 1889, was purchased by Chinese private conglomerate Fosun after several years of declining sales. Elbaz died in April 2021, and the company rebranded as Lanvin Group late that year. Earlier this year, the group reported a 37% revenue increase for 2022 in its first public disclosure since listing on the NYSE.
Last week, another American musician debuted a luxury fashion collaboration when Pharrell Williams showed his first collection in Paris as creative director for the Louis Vuitton menswear line.
