After 14 years and numerous beautiful collections, it was revealed last week that designer Alber Elbaz was leaving fashion house Lanvin. It was indeed a short, sharp shock which came out of the blue, with no one even suspecting that all was not as it seemed at Lanvin and that Elbaz would very soon be out of the job. I couldn't quite believe it when I heard the news as Alber has taken on his role as Lanvin's creative director with so much love, passion and success that it made no sense in my mind why such a talented man would step away from his spotlight. In a statement issued by the designer, Alber explained his reasons for leaving which was the choice of Lanvin's majority shareholder, not his own.“At this time of my departure from Lanvin on the decision of the company’s majority shareholder. I wish to express my gratitude and warm thoughts to all those who have worked with me passionately on the revival of Lanvin over the last 14 years . . . together, we have met the creative challenge presented by Lanvin and have restored its radiance and have returned it to its rightful position among France’s absolute luxury houses.” What will he do next? That's up to him to decide, eve though some tipped him to take over from Raf Simmons at Dior. Yet, Elbaz has said that he wants to step away from the fast pace fashion is moving these days, so a move to Dior looks very unlikely.
I have a few favourite designers, but I can safely say that Lanvin was the first - even before my love for Dolce and Gabbana blossomed. It was the spring/summer 2010 collection which first drew me to Alber and Lanvin, after seeing a few catwalk looks in the newspaper. As an eager 13 year old, who did not know much about fashion, these beautiful prom dresses in sweeping chiffon and taffeta took my breath away and to this day, that show remains one of favourites of all time. From the gorgeous jewel colours in fuchsia pink, burnt orange and emerald green to the line up of supermodels including Freja Beha-Erichson, Ginta Lapina, Natasha Poly, Lily Donaldson, Magdelena Frackowiak, Sasha Pivovarova and Karlie Kloss, this show embodied everything which was wonderful about Alber's design talents. I still love the chunky statement necklaces, the a-symmetric ruffles, the draping of the peplum skirts and Brigitte Bardot hair styles created by the one and only Guido from that spring 2010 collection, and it's safe to say that from that day on Lanvin was a definite highlight of Paris Fashion Week for me.
Over the years, Alber Elbaz has brought a sense of cheeky fun to fashion, not only through his smile and wave at the end of his shows but also through his love of fashion illustrations, clever ad campaigns, high end glamour as seen on the red carpet and who could forget that beautiful Lanvin x H&M collection, which was a huge success. He knows his customers, and has made Lanvin completely his own through his love of silk, sweeping dresses, cute jewel encrusted mini dresses, chic black suits, elegant hats (as seen last season) and love of all things feminine and pretty. I am really at a loss to think of who can replace such an extraordinary man who knows the rich history and DNA of Lanvin so well. But whoever it is, they have a pretty large pair of shoes to fill. Of course, this story has been huge fashion news with Raf Simmons departure of Christian Dior the week before taking centre stage, and has sparked wide debate that taking control of a fashion house in the 21st century is more of a curse than a blessing. I read a fantastic article in the Evening Standard by fashion editor Karen Dacre on Thursday which summed this pressure and constant need to perform perfectly, with her analysis of designers such as Raf, Alber Elbaz, Alexander Wang and John Galliano who all struggled to keep up with the demanding schedule of the increasing number of collections per year. It's fair to say that becoming a creative director of a fashion brand now is not just about designing clothes. You literally become the 'brand,' taking on the role of promoting the label, a social media manager, designer, motivator, an artist with an acute business mind and a whole lot more. We could see clearly in the fashion documentary 'Dior and I' how under pressure Raf Simmons was, literally having to escape to the roof on the day of his fist Dior haute couture collection. And lets not forget the fate of his predecessor Galliano, a man who started off designing 2 collections a year for Dior which by the time his stint ended had increased to a jaw dropping 12. It's not a pretty job, trust me.
Saying that I don't think Raf was right for Dior - and I said that from the first day the news broke that he would be the new creative director of the house. He did deliver some nice collections, but a heritage fashion house such as Christian Dior needs a big personality and someone with a very thick skin and a no nonsense attitude to run such a huge empire. Personally, I think LVMH should replace Raf with someone in house, who knows the brand like the back of their hand and has a deep passion for success (and pressure) which doesn't faze them in any way. And as for Alber's replacement... I am waiting with baited breath, with still hope that this nightmare would have all been a dream and he continues to stay at his brand.
Take a look at my favourite Lanvin collection by Alber Elbaz, from spring/summer 2010...
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