Lanvin appoints ex-Sandro manager as CEO

After four years at Sandro, Jean-Philippe Hecquet joins French fashion house Lanvin as chief executive officer.

In his time as CEO of Sandro, Hecquet managed to establish the brand with 600 stores in 43 countries worldwide, according to a statement by Lanvin on Tuesday. Prior to that, he spent 14 years with French luxury group LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton SE.

In February, Chinese group Fosun took over the majority in troubled French traditional house Lanvin from the Taiwanese businesswoman Shaw-Lan Wang. As part of the restructuring under Fosun, both CEO Nicolas Druz and creative director Olivier Lapidus left the oldest existing French couture house in France, founded in 1889 by Jeanne Lanvin.

CEO appointment a milestone for Lanvin

"We think it is a milestone and exciting event for Lanvin, it also marks the start of a new chapter," said Joan Cheng, president of Fosun's fashion division and of Lanvin's board of directors in the statement. She’s convinced that Hecquet's more than 20 years of international experience in the fashion and luxury industries will strengthen the fashion house.

After the replacement of the chief executive, appointing of a new creative director remains one of the priorities, Lanvin said in the statement.

Fosun's fashion arm has been on a shopping spree in Europe recently. The group acquired Austrian hosiery manufacturer Wolford and the Italian menswear label Caruso. The international fashion portfolio also includes shares in brands such as Tom Tailor and St. John Knits.

Photo: Lanvin