Elbaz Hits Back At Poor Quality Claims

Alber Elbaz has hit back at Lanvin following claims by the fashion house's owner, Shaw-Lan Wang, and chief executive officer, Michéle Huiban, that his departure was a result of a lack of "creative designs".

In a letter sent to all Lanvin employees on November 6, Huiban claimed that the quality of Elbaz's designs were to blame for his exit after 14 years, and that his "'aggression' towards management" as well as his "other 'grave' and 'groundless' accusations" against owner Wang were major contributing factors, reports WWD.

Elbaz responded with his own letter this week, addressed to Huiban and Wang, expressing his "shock" at their accusations. He also threatened to give a tell-all interview and to seek a legal non-disclosure order if they did not cease to defame his name.

Upon leaving the label last month, Elbaz said that he hoped Lanvin could "find the business vision it needs to engage in the right way forward". In their letter to employees, Huiban and Wang appeared to address his comments, saying: "The fundamentals of the business are healthy, its shareholder and governance are solid, the brand is strong, the strategy is clear."

It won't be the last we hear regarding the brand's ongoing turmoil this week, as on November 17th a court hearing has been scheduled at the Tribunal de Grande Instance de Paris to try and restore constructive dialogue between management and the company's work council after relations broke down last month.