When Alber Elbaz arrived at Lanvin in 2001, he likened it to awaking a 'Sleeping Beauty' and in the following decade plus he created an entire world of sweet fashion fantasy, beguiling modern day Auroras the world over. That hire was the work of Shaw-Lan Wang, the majority owner of the brand, who refers to herself as Madame Wang, and is now in the latest chapter of what was previously a wildly successful fairy tale cast as the villain to fashion's beleaguered prince, Elbaz. The news this week that he was leaving came as a one two punch from the still fresh news of Raf Simons' departure from Dior ( what coincidental timing). However, as Simons' announcement was absent any whiff of acrimony, the reason being burnout launching an all out existential crisis within the industry, it was very clear with the Lanvin split it was management differences between the designer and the suits. Madame Wang's presence in the fashion world has been historically distant and remains an enigmatic, Oz-like figure running the business from Taiwan. So, who is Madame Wang?The daughter of an influential Chinese publisher, who founded the United Daily News which Madame Wang now runs as well, she bought a majority holding in Lanvin in 2001 when L'Oreal offloaded it completely. She claimed flippantly in a candid 2012 interview in the Financial Times that the reason she bought the company was becuase a friend had worn Lanvin and she wanted to impress them. A shrewd gamble if there can be such a thing but it ultimately paid off for fashion history and the pocket books of the new investors. Sales and exposure of Lanvin rose exponentially and she was known as a benevolent if distant benefactor, leaving Elbaz to dream and create relatively unhindered in Paris. But the WWD story which broke the news of the split yesterday hinted at rifts around growth strategy, specifically in Asia. In that same FT interview from 2012 she makes no secret of her specific loathing of the Japanese, after living through violent conflicts in the last century: "I never give my hand. I never say hello to Japanese." She turns her head disdainfully. "Bye bye. I don't care what they think." That perhaps could make strategy in Asia as a whole problematic. Also, according to the WWD story, licensing of the brand in Asia was less in line with the luxury product available in the West and Europe.
It now looks that the notoriously inscrutable Wang will have to make an appearance in Paris and answer for the L'Affair Elbaz as the Lanvin atelier is now demanding her presence there for an in person explanation and threatening strike (so French!). They are even calling for Elbaz's return. Which is all to say, things may get ugly before they get pretty again. But Wang, whose father was a Colonel under Chiang Kai-shek, is not to be underestimated. She is within the industry regarded as calculated and decisive (along with a signature black bob and arched eyebrows) and less for bedside manner and public relations nuance. She has a business to run after all, and this one is running out of control. Will she be able to keep the beauty awake or be its fatal prick?
