Designer Peter Copping will make his Lanvin debut in January

Designer Peter Copping will make his debut as Lanvin’s artistic director in late January with a fashion show for female students, WWD has learned.

“This is a very crucial moment for us to re-establish the house through an attitude and a silhouette that, even today, is best conveyed through the podium,” said Siddhartha Shukla, deputy general manager of Lanvin, in an interview.

The development comes after a nearly two-year break from the catwalk.

Lanvin didn’t specify the date, but said it would be in the official schedule yet to be released by the organizing body, the Fédération de la Haute Couture et de la Mode.

Paris Fashion Week for Men’s Fall 2025 collections is scheduled for January 21-26, immediately followed by Paris Couture Week for Spring 2025, scheduled for January 27-30. Both weeks also usually feature a sprinkling of pre-fall off-calendar women’s collections.

Copping’s show collection is still a work in progress and under wraps. “Without saying too much, we’re going to try to show a kind of modern couture,” Shukla teased, referencing Lanvin’s legacy as the oldest couture house in Paris.

Additionally, the student show represents Copping’s “first demonstration of men’s fashion as an artistic director,” Shukla said. “The other notable aspect that you see on the runway and that people will find in the showroom is a more robust and formal elaboration of the world of Lanvin accessories,” particularly formal shoes and ready-to-wear for women.

The executive cited increased interest among department stores and specialty retailers that may not have carried Lanvin since the days of designer Alber Elbaz, as well as fashion editors and stylists familiar with Copping’s career and skills.

“He is discreet but a well-known figure among some fashion insiders,” Shukla said of Copping.

A graduate of the Royal College of Art and Central Saint Martins in London, Copping worked in Sonia Rykiel’s design studios for several years before being hired by Marc Jacobs as his first assistant in 1997 when Louis Vuitton expanded into ready-to-wear .

Copping remained at Vuitton until 2009, when he was hired as creative director by Nina Ricci and moved to Oscar de la Renta five years later.

“And that is why these people are also keen that he, who is an experienced talent, gets a new opportunity,” Shukla noted.

Most recently, Copping worked as head of special projects and VIP atelier at Balenciaga, which he joined in 2021 as the company returned to making couture under renowned creative director Demna.

Thanks to those celebrity connections and Copping’s quiet reputation, “we’ve also seen some real interest from Hollywood,” Shukla said, suggesting it could add extra clout to Copping’s debut, which comes in the middle of awards season.

Lanvin has not yet decided on its future collection calendar, although Shukla did not rule out a return to the main Paris Fashion Weeks in February-March and September-October, when the brand usually presented its student fashion shows in the past.

Lanvin typically presents and sells its pre-fall collections in early December, but will exceptionally combine the pre-fall and main fall 2025 collections for men and women in its showroom to sell shortly after the show in late January, Shukla said.

Lanvin directly operates 38 standalone stores and concessions and supplies wholesale to more than 250 customers.

Since Shukla joined the French company from Theory in late 2021, Lanvin has unveiled a redesigned logo, launched a major reorientation of its product strategy with a focus on leather goods and accessories, and unveiled special projects under the new Lanvin Lab banner, which has already happened is documented collaborations with the rapper Future and the conceptual artist Erwin Wurm.

Lanvin’s sales fell 15.4 percent to 48.3 million euros in the first half of 2024, due to “a slowdown in global luxury consumption coupled with a challenging wholesale market.”

By distribution channel, retail including boutiques and outlets fell 3 percent, the total direct-to-consumer sales channel fell 10 percent and wholesale fell 23 percent.