LANVIN - The Story of Jeanne Lanvin

Lanvin's story began in 1889, in a small hat store in the heart of Paris. Jeanne Lanvin had just turned 22 and finished her apprenticeship when she opened her first hat store in 1889 on the upper floor of a store located at 16 Rue Boissy d'Anglas. Even at a young age, his talent was truly extraordinary.

Four years later, Jeanne Lanvin reached her peak. She obtained a commercial lease on the prestigious Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré and founded her eponymous fashion house. Success was immediate and Parisians flocked to his boutique, known as "Lanvin (Mademoiselle Jeanne) Modes." The birth of her daughter Marguerite in 1897 turned the designer's world upside down. A close relationship developed between Jeanne and her daughter. Marguerite became her muse, and Jeanne used luxurious fabrics to create every little girl's dream wardrobe. The elegant Marguerite was soon noticed by the mothers of her friends, who in turn became customers of the Lanvin fashion house. Faced with this new commercial success, she now became a savvy businesswoman, Jeanne Lanvin opened a children's clothing department in 1908 and devoted an entire section of her store to this new and flourishing business.

In 1909, orders for children's clothing began to exceed those for hats. Jeanne Lanvin decided it was time for her fashion house to enter a new era: that year she opened a department for young ladies and women. Mothers and daughters came to choose their Lanvin dresses together. Day dresses, evening gowns, coats, and lingerie-Paris fell in love with Lanvin's full range of creations. Ambitious and determined, Jeanne Lanvin became a member of the Chambre Syndicale de la Couture (the Parisian fashion council) in the same year, officially moving from the role of milliner to that of designer. Being one of the most respected Parisian fashion houses was not enough for Jeanne Lanvin. In 1915, the designer set out to conquer the world, showing her designs around the globe.

1. 1915 - San Francisco International Exposition
2. 1925 - Paris International Exhibition of Decorative Arts
3. 1937 - Exposition of Art and Technology in Modern Life
4. 1939 - Golden Gate International Exposition
5. 1945 - The Théâtre de la Mode

 

Nothing escaped Jeanne Lanvin's discerning eye. In 1926 she was the first Parisian designer to launch a line of made-to-measure men's clothing. When "Lanvin Tailor-Shirtmaker" set up shop at 15 Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré, it was the only place in Paris that offered both men's and women's collections. Suits, ties, pajamas, daywear and sportswear: to satisfy her male clientele, Jeanne Lanvin turned to three great French tailors and entrusted the management of the department to her nephew Maurice Lanvin. On July 6, 1946, Jeanne Lanvin passed away peacefully at the age of 79. Fashion designer, stylist, decorator, perfume maker, "Madame" as her collaborators called her, left behind an empire. After Jeanne Lanvin passed away, her daughter Marie-Blanche became president of the company and continued to design collections until 1950. Several designers succeeded her with the ambition to keep the brand's skills, state of mind and excellence intact.

Bruno Sialelli, originally from Marseille, joined the Maison in 2019. As the brand's youngest and most pioneering Creative Director, he recast LANVIN with a fresh language, translating the brand's legacy into a unique playful spirit embodied by refined craftsmanship. The illusion of fashion, the physicality of craftsmanship. Bruno Sialelli's Lanvin Fall/Winter 2022 collection is a celebration of the paradox and contradiction of fashion and the contrasting themes that animated Jeanne Lanvin's work. Plays of opacity and transparency, hard and soft, nostalgia and modernism - of a Parisian house, but with a universal vision. This collection is a reflection of Lanvin's legacy, but like all reflections, it is refracted, reinvented, itself an illusion-a modern reconfiguration of Jeanne Lanvin's codes.

The new collection of Lanvin is available online at quaranta.eu