Lanvin embraces the absurd in new collaboration with artist Erwin Wurm

Just two chapters into Lanvin Lab – the historic French house’s ongoing collaborative project with artists across disciplines, introduced in 2023 – it is already clear that when it comes to the participants, one should expect the unexpected. 

First, there was the American Grammy Award-winning rapper Future, a somewhat leftfield choice for a house most associated with seductive party dresses and Parisian insouciance (his resulting collection comprised a collection of louche, undone tailoring adorned with eagles and stars). 

Lanvin Lab with Erwin Wurm

‘I created a vibe with this collection, something you can feel when you wear it,’ he said at the time. ’Jeanne Lanvin drew inspiration from her life and lifestyle. We are the same in that way, we create from experience.’ 

Now, for chapter two, it is the turn of Austrian artist Erwin Wurm, whose sculptures often begin with elements of the quotidian – hot water bottles, pickles, clothing, oranges and chairs – which are then reimagined in the artist’s distinct, absurdist style. 

Such is the case with his Lanvin Lab collaboration, which sees Wurm create a large-scale sculpture for the house, which will travel around China in the coming months. Comprising an enormous set of legs on which a blown-up version of the house’s ‘Cat’ bag balances, it continues the artist’s ’anthropomorphized’ series, which sees Wurm imbue objects with human characteristics. 

Wurm says that the ’Lanvin blue’ sculpture, which is titled Desire, provides a musing on the way we use objects to alter the way we are perceived by the world. ‘Symbols of self-expression are what we desire,’ he says. ’We often look for this self- expression in objects, such as a beautiful handbag, that represent how we would like to be seen by others.’ 

It also explores the idea of ’layers’, another long-running fascination. ’We use clothing as a layer – be it garments, shoes, or accessories – to portray a specific image to the world around us. It’s a recurring subject in my work, and it’s a pleasure to be able to connect these ideas with contemporary clothing objects from Lanvin.’

The Lanvin Lab project – which came in the wake of the exit of former creative director Bruno Sialelli in 2023 – is born from the legacy of Jeanne Lanvin, the house founder whose work as a couturier saw her socialise with the burgeoning Nabis movement in the late 19th century. She was also an avid collector, amassing a vast catalogue works from artists including Renoir, Degas, Fantin-Latour and Fragonard.

Now on view Beijing, ’Desire’ will travel to sitesnear Lanvin boutiques in Shanghai, Nanjing, Chengdu, Shenzhen and Shenyang, including an appearance at the Fosun Foundation in Shanghai, where Wurm will open a major solo exhibition in June 2024. 

The ‘Cat’ bag is available at Harrods.

lanvin.com