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France's Lanvin parts ways with designer Olivier Lapidus

Fashion designer Olivier Lapidus

French fashion house Lanvin said Thursday that artistic director Olivier Lapidus had quit the company after just eight months, the latest round of musical chairs at France's oldest surviving luxury house.

The move comes just a few weeks after Lanvin was snapped up by Fosun, a Chinese conglomerate which has spent billions of dollars buying stakes in companies ranging from fashion and banking groups to French resorts operator Club Med.

He had put together just two collections for Lanvin since his arrival last July: the first, mounted quickly last September, got mixed reviews, while a February show played up a vivid palette for the autumn/winter 2018-2019 season.

"Olivier steered the maison through a transitional period between ownerships. We thank him for that, and wish him every success for his own brand and future endeavours," Joann Cheng, president of the Fosun Fashion Group, said in a statement.

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Lapidus had told AFP as recently as last November that he was helping to prepare a major shift for the brand, which was founded in 1889.

At the time Lanvin was still controlled by the Taiwanese media magnate Shaw-Lan Wang, known as "Madame Wang", who had promised a fresh cash injection.

The turmoil at the house began in 2015 with the departure of star designer Alber Elbaz after a 14-year run during which the brand became a favourite of the fashion set.

The next year the company sank to a loss of 18.3 million euros, its first in a decade.

Elbaz was eventually replaced by Bouchra Jarrar, who quit after just 16 months.

Lapidus, a prominent figure in high-tech fashion, is the son of Ted Lapidus, who made his mark on fashion in the 1960s and 1970s with his unisex and safari styles.

He was artistic director of the Maison Lapidus for 11 years, where he advocated a fusion of haute couture, crafts and industrial research laboratories.

In its statement, Fusan also said Lanvin's chief executive Nicolas Druz, who joined just last year, would also be leaving to become executive director of the Fosun Fashion Group, in charge of expanding growth in Europe.

It said the current creative team would take over during the search for a new artistic director.

"In seeking candidates for the permanent positions of CEO and artistic director, we want to ensure we find people who share the spirit of Lanvin," Cheng said.