Bruno Sialelli, creative director of Lanvin, is to part ways with the French house as it adopts a new creative configuration accentuating leather goods and accessories — plus special projects, WWD has learned.
It is understood Lanvin staffers were informed Friday that Sialelli would be leaving the brand after four years in the role, and that the house would establish Lanvin Lab and invite proven and rising international talents for “creative partnerships.”
The first guest talent is to be revealed in the coming weeks. It is understood the “lab” will incubate new ideas and concepts for the house alongside its main product lines.
Lanvin is assembling a creative team and “industrial support” for leather goods and accessories, which today account for more than half of the brand’s global business and are seen as a key driver for future growth.
The leather goods pole and Lanvin Lab are to operate alongside the main ready-to-wear collections for men and women. It is understood the brand will continue doing runway shows during Paris Fashion Week.
“Lanvin is poised for a new chapter,” Siddhartha Shukla, deputy general manager, said in a statement shared exclusively with WWD. “As we reimagine the brand, embracing the values instilled in it by Jeanne Lanvin over 130 years ago, we situate the house at the vanguard of fashion and culture at a time of extraordinary and inspiring change.
“Our model exalts Lanvin’s rich heritage and sophistication in a uniquely modern matrix of creativity,” he added.
Since joining Lanvin from Loewe’s menswear design team in 2019, Sialelli has kept a relatively low media profile, while witnessing a number of changes at the Paris-based fashion house, which last December started life as the flagship brand of a publicly traded company.
Sialleli worked under three different management regimes. He was brought in by then chief executive officer Jean-Philippe Hecquet, spent 15 months under Arnaud Bazin’s leadership, and since the end of 2021 has reported to Shukla, a merchandising and communications pro who had joined Lanvin from Theory, where his last title was chief brand officer.
Since Shukla’s arrival, the brand has undergone a visual reset, with a rejiggered logo and two black-and-white Steven Meisel campaigns — plus a comprehensive reset of its product strategy. Recent collections have hinged on a quieter form of chic linked to its claim to fame as the oldest fashion house in Paris — in line with a wider trend to heritage luxury.
Sialleli’s last collection was for the fall 2023 season, an understated effort focused on elevated everyday dressing, tailoring, chemise dresses and subtle nods to the house’s 1920s heyday.
Earlier in his tenure, Sialleli had pursued buzzy dalliances with Batman and Babar the Elephant on menswear, which skewed more casual during his tenure, and conscripted Paris Hilton to front its women’s campaign.
Besides Loewe, the Frenchman worked at Balenciaga, with Nicolas Ghesquière and Alexander Wang, as well as Acne Studios, where he was the senior designer for womenswear, and Paco Rabanne.
In a statement, Shukla said, “We are grateful to Bruno for his passion and commitment to the house and wish him the best as his creative journey continues.”
Sialelli commented: “I am deeply proud of what we have achieved at Lanvin over the past four years and wish to thank Lanvin and my team who through their unique talents and dedication have accompanied me in this great adventure.”
His next move could not immediately be learned.
Lanvin Group, formerly Fosun Fashion Group, is listed on the New York Stock Exchange and posted a good set of numbers for 2022, lifted by the flagship Lanvin brand, whose revenues jumped 67 percent to 121.3 million euros.
The brand has been drawing in younger customers with leather goods and sneakers, like its fat-laced Curb model.
The house has seen a succession of designers since dismissing its beloved creative director Alber Elbaz in 2015 after an acclaimed 14-year tenure. They included Bouchra Jarrar and Olivier Lapidus.
