Lanvin's newly reopened Madison Avenue boutique reveals a new brand direction

By

Roxanne Robinson

Published
Jul 20, 2023

When Jeanne Lanvin unveiled Art Deco-inspired home furnishing designs in 1920 in partnership with architect-decorator Armand-Albert Rateau, it defined the brand's aesthetic for decades. Despite founding her namesake luxury lifestyle brand in 1889 as Art Nouveau started to take off, the Art Deco movement is synonymous with the overall aesthetic. It serves as inspiration for its new store direction, unveiled in the reopening of its Madison Avenue boutique.

The brand, whose parent company Lanvin Group underwent an IPO in December 2022, is undergoing a transformation that includes the recent departure of creative director Bruno Sialelli and the tapping of rapper Future for a Lanvin Lab collaboration.
 
The Parisian brand representatives, such as deputy general manager Siddartha Shukla, flew in from Paris to debut the new store along with its Belgian designer, Bernard Dubois, founder of his namesake architecture firm.

"This store is not only the Madison Avenue reopening but the debut of a new retail expression. There is a vocabulary and design rules that will be applied to all of the new and renovated stores going forward," Shukla explained.
 
"We drew inspiration from the Art Deco style of Lanvin and Eckart Muthesius and referenced the Neoclassical work of Auguste Perret. We worked on perspectives and classical languages such as columns, architraves, symmetries, and enfilades [to align the three rooms], centering things and finding the correct level of ornamentation," said Dubois.

The ornamentation is kept to a "spare and precise" level with custom furniture and house archives. The store is sparse without feeling cold due to the materials used, such as oxidized and hammered brass, limestone, Marmorino, and beige velvet. 

"We didn't need to instill any dos and don'ts as the conversation was very fluid between Bernard and me around what is a common interest to create a new expression for the stores globally. An ethic connects his work, and it's rethinking what Art Deco it would have meant to Lanvin at the time, like preoccupation with the surface of things and the idea of decoration. The project concept isn't fixed, and the spirit can move elsewhere," Shukla said, noting the brand will be opening its next store in Miami at the Bal Harbour Shops,  where it previously had a store.

Other future locations include Costa Mesa's South Coast Plaza and Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The Lanvin deputy manager said this region is a big priority.

"Lanvin has been absent in the Middle East for over a decade, so after Riyadh, we have high ambitions for that region, such as Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, and Qatar.
 
While staying consistent, the design mood can also adapt to new regions and specific architectural spaces.

"It can evolve in the execution of the materials with each location; the work I do is important, so we don't just apply materials. It's designed and informed by the space," said Dubois, who has also designed stores for Aesop, Courreges, Icicle, and Carven.
 
The location is divided into three main sections, with its men's offerings in a gallery to the right of the entrance that also hosts a window front. Accessories greet the customer by design.

"Visually, they are a good port of entry to the world of product. It's also the ambition to build a leather goods business. Lanvin hasn't had this business apart from some isolated hits," noted Shukla.

The brand's current panther cat motif handle on its pencil and hobo bags line two walls, while the Sequence and Concerto styles line the others. Display cases highlight costume jewelry, which has historically been a strong category for the brand. The best-selling Curb sneakers are on display and available for men and women.
 
The middle section boasts a large rectangular settee. It houses the women's ready-to-wear offerings, the brand's Fall 2023 collection, equivalent to the pre-fall delivery for other brands, which features poppy floral prints, pleating details, and assorted denim styles.

Shukla noted that the Lanvin Lab collection, which has just announced a collaboration with the rapper Future, could potentially be debuted in the middle space but would have bigger play in the brand's Soho store.
 
The final room is dedicated to Lanvin's new Edition Soir, a perennial capsule dedicated to cocktail and evening attire. It can also easily adapt to a private VIP shopping salon for VIP and other top-level clients.
 
The store, located in the former Emilio Pucci store, sits at the corner of 71st and Madison and is a few doors up from its former spot. Neighbors include Ralph Lauren, one block up, with The RealReal directly across the street with John Elliott next door.