Lavnin Employees Revolt Against the Firing of Alber Elbaz

Alber Elbaz. Photo: Getty Images

The 330 or so employees of Lanvin are not taking the dismissal of Alber Elbaz lightly. WWD reports they have demanded that Shaw-Lan Wang, the majority stake holder who pushed out the beloved designer, go to Paris and explain her reasoning in person. They are also planning to ask her to give Elbaz his job back.

In addition, they are considering of making it a legal issue by going to court to dispute the decision. (In socialist France you can do such a thing.)

All of this is of course a testament to Elbaz’s incredible spirit. Having been at the helm of the French fashion house for 14 years, he resurrected the venerable label, and did so with grace, compassion, and humility. As anyone knows, these are rare traits to have not only in a person, but especially in a boss, which is why his team is fighting for his return. Earlier this year he told Yahoo Style, “Part of our [business] is all about power, the power of money, so it’s interesting when you have none of that and you have to come with solutions. Spontaneity is the mother of creation.”

Of course the big argument now is that designers are losing touch with their creativity due to hellish production schedules and demands to keep up with the hungry beast that is known as the Internet. Elbaz spoke about this eloquently at the recent Fashion Group International Awards earlier this month, encouraging the audience to “digest” fashion a bit more slowly. Perhaps it was a precursor of things to come?

We’re curious to see where this sensitive soul lands and are impressed that his team is rallying on his behalf. Stay tuned to see what happens next.

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