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.
Ossendrijver’s final collection as Lanvin’s men’s designer is the pre-collection currently 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 Men’s Fashion Week in January, the source said.
The label 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.
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WWD broke the news on Oct. 8 that the brand had settled on Bruno Sialelli, the former head of menswear at Loewe, to design its women’s and menswear collections. It is understood it is in negotiations with Loewe parent LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton over a noncompete clause.
Finding new design and management leadership has been job No. 1 for Fosun International, which acquired the French luxury house in February. Jean-Philippe Hecquet, former CEO of SMCP-owned Sandro, joined Lanvin as CEO in late August.
Ossendrijver has proved a rock through the turbulence at Lanvin, which began with the ouster of former creative director of womenswear Alber Elbaz in October 2015 following disagreements between the designer and the house’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 ’19 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 menswear through the lens of the codes established by Elbaz, Ossendrijver in his 13-year tenure at Lanvin forged an identity of his own, hooked on a youthful approach to tailoring mixing in technical and activewear influences. His spring ’19 collection for the house put the focus on craft, workmanship and know-how.
Prior to joining 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 menswear at Louis Vuitton.
This story was reported by WWD and originally appeared on WWD.com.
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