Lanvin has appointed Bruno Sialelli artistic director, signaling new direction for the historic French house. “His singular and very personal vision, his audacity, his culture, his energy and ability to build a strong creative team definitely convinced us,” said Lanvin chief executive officer Jean-Philippe Hecquet.

The Fosun Fashion Group-owned label cited the designer’s “youthful translation” of its storied heritage along with his ability to navigate between men’s and women’s wear among reasons for settling on the designer in a process that involved an “incredible array” of candidates for the position.The former Loewe men’s wear designer worked under the direction of J.W. Anderson. He has also worked at Balenciaga, with Nicolas Ghesquière and Alexander Wang, as well as Acne Studios, where he was the senior designer for women’s wear, and Paco Rabanne.

“His proven ability to seamlessly transition between men’s wear and women’s wear will stand Lanvin in great stead as luxury fashion increasingly blurs the boundaries between the sexes,” the company said in a press release.