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The saga of Alber Elbaz and Lanvin's split continues to take several twists and turns. First, the breakup was mutual, then Elbaz had friction with the owner, and the last report from Vanessa Friedman said that Lanvin's owner asked the designer to leave. Now, employees are fighting back against the designer's dismissal, WWD reports.
Lanvin's work council has requested a meeting with the company's majority owner, Shaw-Lan Wang, who is responsible for Elbaz's firing so that they can get answers and express their concerns to her. Lanvin's employees are also requesting, loudly, that the company bring back Elbaz, going as far as to start chants of "Alber, Alber, Alber," according to WWD's source. The work council says that if Wang isn't willing to listen to their requests, they will take their case through Paris's commercial court in hopes of fighting back against the executive team's decision.
News of Elbaz's exit from Lanvin broke yesterday morning and apparently incited tears and shock among Lanvin's 330 employees. The fashion world was equally surprised by the departure, as Elbaz helped turn Lanvin into one of Paris's top fashion houses over his 14-year tenure.