Carven Names New Women’s Designers
PARIS — There’s a new creative duo in town.
Carven has appointed Alexis Martial and Adrien Caillaudaud as artistic directors for its women’s collections, marking the first time they are working in tandem. WWD first reported on Dec. 8 that Carven was in talks with Martial, who showed his swan-song collection for Iceberg in Milan on Friday.
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The pair, who met at the Atelier Chardon Savard fashion school in Paris and both went on to work at Givenchy, will unveil their debut collection for Carven on Thursday, during Paris Fashion Week. Guillaume Henry, who exited Carven last September after a fruitful five-year stint, will show his first creations for Nina Ricci on March 7.
Martial began his career at Givenchy in 2007, working as a knitwear designer on the ready-to-wear and couture lines.
After getting his start designing shoes at Marc Jacobs, Caillaudaud joined Givenchy in 2009 and was responsible for the design of accessories, including jewelry, leather goods, men’s and women’s shoes. More recently, he has consulted for Tod’s and Jil Sander.
“We warmly welcome Alexis and Adrien to Carven as we continue to define a Parisian and fresh elegance for the woman of today. We look forward to the overall creative vision they will bring to the growing world of Carven,” said Henri Sebaoun, chief executive officer of Carven.
Caillaudaud has already started, and Martial will officially join him today. “Carven is a brand that conveys a beautiful sense of femininity and freshness that we look forward to continuing into the next era,” they said in a joint statement.
The brand in January tapped Barnabé Hardy as designer for men’s collections, signaling a change in strategy as it split design duties for women and men following Henry’s departure.
Hardy worked alongside Nicolas Ghesquière for eight years at Italian brand Callaghan and at Balenciaga, where he helped to launch the label’s men’s wear. His solo ventures include launching the Les Minets par Barnabé collection of sweatshirts in 2001, with the support of Paris retailer Maria Luisa, followed by a full-fledged collection of sleekly sculpted leather jackets in 2009. His own label has since shuttered.
Sebaoun said Carven posted double-digit revenue growth in 2014, but he declined to provide specific figures. The brand has plans to open a store in Bangkok at the end of March and is growing in the United States through its partnerships with department stores, including Nordstrom.
He said the brand would stick with its positioning in the contemporary designer bracket.
“With Guillaume, we started from a blank page. Today, we have established the brand’s positioning, distribution, customer base and image. The idea now is to forge ahead with these talented teams who will be able to bring a new vision within that positioning and that style. We are not going to change things,” he said.
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