Lanvin

founded by

Jeanne Lanvin

belongs to

Harmonie S.A.

about

When Lanvin died in 1946, ownership of the firm was ceded to the designer's daughter, who shared management of the firm from 1942 with a cousin and then a fashion-industry expert. Because Marie-Blanche de Polignac was childless when she died in 1958, the ownership of the House of Lanvin went to a cousin, Yves Lanvin. (See Directors and Officiers Since Jeanne Lanvin below.)

The company has shuttled from here and there, beginning in March 1989 when Britain's Midland Bank bought a stake in the company from the family. The bank brought in L�on Bressler to revamp the firm's faded image. However, February 1990, Midland backed out and sold Lanvin to Orcofi, the French holding company led by the Vuitton family. From Orcofi, 50% of the House of Lanvin was acquired by L'Or�al in 1994, 66% in 1995 and 100% in 1996. Under L'Or�al's far-too-diverse umbrella, an array of CEOs who circulate within the French fashion industry directed the company.

August 2001, Lanvin, the oldest fashion house still in operation, was taken private again by investor group Harmonie S.A., headed by Mrs. Shaw-Lan Wang, a Taiwanese media magnate. And, October 2001, Alber Elbaz was appointed the Lanvin artistic director for all activities, including interiors, and he has conducted his responsibilities in a highly personal, hands-on manner.