In the realm of high-fashion, truly independent houses are a rarity. With LVMG and Kering possessing ownership of most brands, it's more common for a fashion company to have a space under the umbrella of a larger holding company than not. Lanvin isn't fully independent, but it is owned by a much smaller investment group named Harmonie S.A., which acquired the fashion house back in 2001 from L'Oreal. Lanvin's the oldest fashion house still in operation today and, now, it might be on the trading block once again.
According to WWD, the majority owner of Lanvin, Shaw-Lan Wang, might be interested in selling his shares off. Apparently, there have been offers in the past to take the brand off her hands, but she never really considered them until now. Today, she's reported to be entertaining the idea a little more seriously. Wang was the leader of the investor group that purchased the brand in 2001 and the person responsibly for smartly appointing Alber Elbaz as artistic director with free reign over all of Lavin's operations. Elbaz is still at Lanvin and has since become a stalwart of the ever-rotating revolving door of fashion designers and, in the process, has also acquired his own financial stake in the brand. With Lanvin having celebrated it's 125th anniversary last year, it could be finding new suitors to lead it into the future. If any of our readers want to get in on this, hit us up in the comments. Y'all got Venmo, right?
