Lucas Ossendrijver - Designer

[dodencebt]

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.

wwd.com

 

[Lola701]

Finally!
I only hope that he will find a house worthy of his talent.
There are so many fashion houses with a weak menswear department (Givenchy, YSL, Berluti, Vuitton, Fendi). He can also be perfect for contemporary brands (Acne Studios, Carven)...Even Margiela.

I've always appreciate his talent. He is a really gifted designer that has been quite underestimated over time.
He was really one of the few who reinvented menswear with using very sophisticated fabrics, bold volumes and finishing.
He was the first to introduce the idea of a luxurious designer sneaker.
Even if Lanvin menswear hasn't been the same since Alber left (they were quite a duo), his contribution is huge.

Well done Lucas!

 

[bc collector]

For some reason I'm not surprised at all by this piece of news. I'm surprised he actually lasted that long, with all the turmoil at Lanvin over the last three years (it must have been hell, really, to be able to keep some peace of mind and trudge on).

 

[TaylorBinque]

I am not surprised by this. It was bound to happen. I hope he is leading a menswear brand.Actually would be nice if he works with Claire at Givenchy but I don't think that would be happening.

 

[ghostwriter10549]

Lanvin has signed with ex-Loewe designer Bruno Sialelli, sources say
source: fashionnetwork
https://us.fashionnetwork.com/news/...ialelli-sources-say,1022594.html#.W-2n57F3GLI

 

[ghostwriter10549]

Bruno have a good resume, I think that is a good choice for Lanvin, but I dont think that LMHV will let him go and break the 1 year clause.

 

[Lola701]

Bruno have a good resume, I think that is a good choice for Lanvin, but I dont think that LMHV will let him go and break the 1 year clause.

He can pull a Karl....
He can simply set his design studio and for one year, they design the collection and setup his vision and in one year, he will be officially the creative director of Lanvin. Karl did that when he joined Chanel.
Lanvin needs an overall revival anyway and i'm sure they have a lot of stock to get rid of...

I hope he will bring back the classic bag designs of Alber and build the accessories line from that.

 

[donyan]

I'm sad he's gone, I loved his menswear at Lanvin. But he's been there forever, maybe it's good for him too to leave and do something else . He would be great at a number of places, Berluti comes to mind straight away

 

[entten]

I am not too excited to hear it may be Bruno....Lanvin needs something powerful,womanly and truly new. Maybe even not ignoring what Alber was doing there, but he should building up from there and taking it to a totally new level,doing something unexpected.....If I read Bruno and see the works, it seems it will be the same boring nice looking not outstanding sauce everyone else is doing right now. I have the feeling the outcome would be a /loewe/chloe/rabanne/acne/phoebe/ghesquiere-ish kind of sauce....but ok, nothing is decided yet.

 

[eugenius]

I'm rather happy Lucas is gone. As much as I loved his work there, I feel like the last few collections were getting kind of stale. Great clothes, yeah, but it started to seem like an ongoing parade of oversided coats + pants, worn with a pair of sneakers (which still baffles me). It looked like he was running out of steam, so maybe a fresh new start is due.

There's never been a single item from Loewe (esp. their menswear) that ever piqued my interest, so, that's all I have to say about this new guy.

 

[tatouejeremie]

Theory Taps Ex-Lanvin Men’s Designer Lucas Ossendrijver
He is to design men's and women's capsule collections "inspired by the urban lifestyle codes of tomorrow."
By Miles Socha on July 27, 2021

Lucas Ossendrijver, the affable Dutch fashion designer synonymous with Lanvin men’s wear for 14 years, has a new partnership with Theory, WWD has learned.

Ossendrijver is to design men’s and women’s capsule collections “inspired by the urban lifestyle codes of tomorrow” and drawing on his expertise with “activewear-infused hybrid tailoring aesthetic” and his innovative approach to materials, Theory said.

His first collections are to be unveiled next year.

“I am thrilled to be collaborating with Theory, an iconic American brand whose mission presents a fresh creative opportunity at a time of incredible change,” Ossendrijver said.

“This is the start of a new and exciting chapter in the evolution of Theory. We are just beginning a friendship with Lucas, one that I trust will strengthen our commitment to deliver exceptional design and value to our customers,” added Kazumi Yanai, chairman of Theory and Fast Retailing USA.

Known for reinventing men’s wear at Lanvin through the lens of the codes established by the late Alber Elbaz, Ossendrijver forged an identity of his own at the French house, hooked on a youthful approach to tailoring mixed with technical and activewear influences.

Prior to Lanvin, Ossendrijver had stints at brands including Kenzo and Dior Homme, where he worked under Hedi Slimane for three-and-a-half years.

According to Theory, he brings “an expertly trained eye, and shares with the company a collective dedication to exceptional quality and design.”

New York-based Theory has a track record of working with European designers, having collaborated over the years with the likes of Olivier Theyskens and Francesco Fucci.

 

[bc collector]

I'm not sure he's the right fit for Theory (they tend to normalize whatever talent they have under contract) but I'm happy all the same: I just can't tolerate that a gifted designer like Lucas is kept on the sidelines, while mediocre marketers - I won't name names but you know who I am referring to - are running the game these days.

 

[RedSmokeRise]

Amazing news! So glad he's back in the game at least.

 

[vetements]

I must give it to Fast Retail Holdings for always able to identify, and allowing a space for real talents, and not hyped up designers to do their things. From Theyskens, Lemaire to Sander and now Ossendrijver.

Fact that Olivier Theyskens and Jil Sander who are infamously idealistic and 'stubborn', Lemaire has worked at Hermes and they are/ were yet willing to stay at Uniqlo speaks a lot.

Certainly look forward to a great transformation at Theory!

 

[tricotineacetat]

I must give it to Fast Retail Holdings for always able to identify, and allowing a space for real talents, and not hyped up designers to do their things. From Theyskens, Lemaire to Sander and now Ossendrijver.

Fact that Olivier Theyskens and Jil Sander who are infamously idealistic and 'stubborn', Lemaire has worked at Hermes and they are/ were yet willing to stay at Uniqlo speaks a lot.

Certainly look forward to a great transformation at Theory!

I second these thoughts completely, hoping that this stint at Theory might lead him to maybe take over a project for Uniqlo one day (Should Jil Sander or Lemaire choose to leave, he would be a perfect successor to take over Uniqlo U or start a new line of sleek sportswear/tailoring hybrid garments). His quiet talent was much missed in the mass of all the hyped-up menswear rubbish that's been on offer the last few years.

 

[Lola701]

Lucas is one of the most talented menswear designer around. I’m glad to see him comeback as menswear has changed a lot since his Lanvin days…
Theory is not an exciting name for me and I don’t think I can consider Olivier’s tenure à success.

But, if the ambition with hiring Lucas is to try to enter that « Acne Studios » space, I’m fine. Theory’s presence in Europe is not so high so, they have a room there.

I wonder if that means they will continue to show at NYFW or in Paris.

 

[tricotineacetat]

Lucas is one of the most talented menswear designer around. I’m glad to see him comeback as menswear has changed a lot since his Lanvin days…
Theory is not an exciting name for me and I don’t think I can consider Olivier’s tenure à success.

But, if the ambition with hiring Lucas is to try to enter that « Acne Studios » space, I’m fine. Theory’s presence in Europe is not so high so, they have a room there.

I wonder if that means they will continue to show at NYFW or in Paris.

I would have prefered to see him at Hugo Boss but I'm afraid a company of that size is a bit unfit to have a singular creative director to overhaul the entire thing from root to tail - Bruno Pieters' appointment from about 10 years ago serves as a terribly unfit reminder that the company - as resourceful it is - is a bit immobile to evolve towards a more design-driven direction.

The other obvious place where he would fit perfectly: Jil Sander.

 

[Fulton St Critique]

I am soooooo happy right now! I love Lucas and am anticipating a modern approach to womenswear. He defined 2000’s menswear and am sure he has plans on carrying this forward.

I needed a top to a dinner on short notice- I was wearing a t-shirt- over the weekend and the only store next to the restaurant was a Bloomingdales. Outside of All Saints, Theory was the only option and though the top was nice, the quality is so so. It will be interesting to see if his hiring means that the quality of the pieces will extend down to the more commercial products. Either way I am just happy he is back in fashion and look forward to seeing his work!

 

[THD96]

I'm really happy for Lucas. He designed for active people, on the street but not hypebeast so I can't wait for his debut. He can be perfect for Berluti, if only Antoine come to his senses.

is not an exciting name for me and I don’t think I can consider Olivier’s tenure à success

Really? I though his tenure was really a success, because it's have that 90s Calvin Klein minimalism sensual touch to it.

 

[Lola701]

Really? I though his tenure was really a success, because it's have that 90s Calvin Klein minimalism sensual touch to it.

Olivier’s work is sensual in it essence so, if it was just for that, for me it wasn’t enough.

Olivier for me is the « frustrated Couturier » who spent the majority of his career trying to prove that he can design for the streets when all he wanted was to design for the salons…

Seriously, his Theory line had good moments but each time, he tried to sneak a ball gown between the endless parades of blazers and jeans.

His Theory line wasn’t needed except maybe to serve as a competition to Alexander Wang…

And I don’t think showing in NYC helped. But at the same time, every person definition of success is different but I do think that his compromises were too obvious in his creations.