Lanvin Might Be Up for Sale

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Sources tell WWD that Lanvin's majority owner is thinking about selling her stake in the fashion house. The owner, Taiwanese publishing chief Shaw-Lan Wang, spoke informally with a high-powered family of investors in Asia about a possible sale.

Wang recruited designer Alber Elbaz in 2001 to rejuvenate the brand, and is said to consider Lanvin a long-term investment. But she's been spending less time in Paris and is reportedly reluctant to put a lot of money towards developing Lanvin's brand profile and retail network, which makes it more difficult to compete with other luxury houses like Chanel, Saint Laurent, and Givenchy.

An anonymous source told WWD, "It’s a very fluid situation. My guess is something will happen this year." A Lanvin spokesperson, however, said, "Madame Wang has received expressions of interest to acquire Lanvin, as in the past years, but she didn’t respond."