Loses Another Gem as Albert Albaz leaves Lanvin

Seems like something is wrong with the fashion industry and by wrong, we mean very wrong. After the sad news of designer Raf Simons leaving Christian Dior and Alexander Wang’s departure from the house of Balenciaga, the fashion industry was still grieving when big news came out in the headlines.

Lanvin, the oldest surviving fashion house has reported that its creative director, Alber Elbaz, will be leaving the company soon. The decision has already been discussed with the company’s majority shareholders. What comes as a shocker is the fact that unlike Simons and Wang, who have been associated with their respective companies for only three years, Elbaz was with Lanvin since 2001. He literally reformed the brand and brought it back to life. The brand achieved a near cult status and was preferred by famous people and names that include stunners like Natalie Portman and Meryl Streep.

Lanvin’s Alber Elbaz was not just another talented designer; he stood out from the crowd with his generosity. He was known for sending flowers to all the other designers on a regular basis. In fact, last year at the Fashion Group International Night of Stars, another stalwart, Roger Virvier designer Bruno Frisoni, mentioned that the evening stands special for him because Mr. Elbaz was also being honored. The mutual admiration was very evidently shared. He expressed immense gratitude and only good thoughts for his colleagues.

In spite of Lanvin being privately held with Elbaz himself owning a ten percent stake in it, the 2014 revenue was 250 million Euros. Also, he was regularly on the shortlist of every major fashion appointment for the past five years. The news is also shocking because he regularly dismissed reports of an impulse to leave. He was not just economically attached to the company, but he had an emotional connection too. He also continuously denied the urge to get associated with a new brand. In his own words, Lanvin was his baby and there was no way he was going to abandon his baby just like that.

Although the statements released by him post the decision clearly show that his departure was more of a verdict and not a personal decision. He wished Lanvin the very best of luck and hopes the company finds the future it has been looking for.

Mr. Alber Elbaz was known as someone who genuinely cared for the industry and felt uncomfortable about the way industry was moving towards in a completely different direction. He was also concerned about how designers have now been forced to transform the roles they have to play. From dreamers and artists with intuition and feelings to creative directors who are on the run to create a buzz constantly, it is certainly an unwelcomed change. He also put the system under scrutiny for it’s over demanding nature. Collection after collection, store after store and one social medium after another, the system is ruining the aesthetic part of designing and is becoming highly business oriented.

He believes that systems and designers are interrelated and therefore, one needs to take care of other. Art, after all, needs to be treated as such.