Louise Trotter has been named creative director of Carven, less than two months after she exited Lacoste. The British designer will present her first collection for Spring/Summer 2024 during Paris Fashion Week in September.
It marks a new era for Carven, which has had a succession of creative directors: the last official holder of the position was Serge Ruffieux, who left in 2018 after three seasons.
“Louise Trotter is the perfect candidate to revive the house of Carven,” said Shawna Tao, CEO of Carven and co-founder of its parent company Icicle Fashion Group, in a statement. “She is a talented designer who has the conviction and know-how to create meaningful clothes with a unique understanding of what luxury and sportswear mean today. I believe that her values and openness can lead this 70-year-old fashion house to an exciting new place.”
Chinese investors have been snapping up struggling heritage European brands, including Carven and Lanvin (which is owned by China’s Lanvin Group, formerly Fosun Fashion Group), with a view to reviving them and expanding them in China. Sonia Rykiel was acquired by Hong Kong investment group First Heritage Brands in 2012, but ended up in liquidation and is now owned by US firm G-III Apparel Group.
Carven was founded by Marie-Louise Carven (born Carmen de Tommaso) in Paris in 1945. She is credited for the development of ready-to-wear, alongside a handful of other couturiers. Businessman Henri Sebaoun bought Carven in 2008 and managed to revive it with Guillaume Henry as creative director between 2010 and 2014. Following Henry’s departure, Carven appointed a duo of creative directors, Alexis Martial and Adrien Caillaudaud, who exited in 2016. That same year, Hong-Kong based distributor Bluebell took a majority stake.
The house changed hands in 2018, entering a new chapter with China’s Icicle Group (since rebranded as Icicle Carven China France or ICCF Group). Later that year, Ruffieux exited as creative director. The role has not officially been filled since. In 2021, Icicle opened a Carven flagship store, at 6 Rond-Point des Champs-Élysées, the location where Marie-Louise Carven established her Parisian fashion house in 1945.
“I feel honored to write a new chapter for Carven: a youthful French house that to me embodies a spirit of freedom, joy and a confident femininity. I look forward to respecting Madame Carven’s legacy by making clothes with a new simplicity that are both purposeful and beautiful, whilst being kind to people and our environment,” Trotter said.
Comments, questions or feedback? Email us at [email protected].
For all the latest fasion News Click Here
