Lanvin one of the oldest fashion house in Paris has remained also one of the most relevant in the fashion world through many years and many designers. Its founder, Madame Jeanne Lanvin, put the basis for a style always featuring fine craftsmanship and impeccable ornamentation.
Lanvin has always been a family affair as represented in the logo — a mother and child, holding hands.
Jeanne Lanvin started her long carrier in the fashion when she was thirteen, making and delivering hats for Suzanne Talbot and in 1889 she opened her own first hat boutique in Paris.
Thanks to the beautifully ornamented clothing she used to create for her daughter she became so popular that she turned into a clothing designer.
She spread out the idea that a woman could create her own personal style.
Throughout the 1920s and 1930s, the house turned out “robes de style,” simple designs enriched with precious ornaments and fabrics such as, velvet, chiffon and lace.
Sooon afterit expanded into fragrance, lingerie, sportswear, accessories, fur, and menswear. The visual art has always influenced Lanvin’s creations , that’s how the Fra Angelico fresco-inspired the creation of the famous “Lanvin blue.”
After Jeanne Lanvin died, in 1946, her daughter took over both the creative and business ends of the company until 1950. After that up to the early 1990s a succession of designers left their signs in the maison.