SCAD launches first US exhibition dedicated to Jeanne Lanvin

The Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) is hosting the first exhibition in the United States devoted entirely to the work of French fashion icon Jeanne Lanvin, now through August 31. 

Dubbed “Jeanne Lanvin: Haute Couture Heritage”, the exhibition features more than 60 creations honoring the French couturière and her enduring legacy. 

“SCAD FASH cuts an immaculate silhouette with couturière Jeanne Lanvin’s first stateside show, offering a transcendent opportunity for students and guests to experience Madame Lanvin’s unerring eye for elegance — up close and deeply personal,” said SCAD president and founder, Paula Wallace. 

“With the iconic robe de style and her innovative Art Deco–inspired patterns, Lanvin embodies the rare grace of a bygone era. Once again, SCAD FASH proves the perfect venue to host the remarkable oeuvre of history’s finest fashion luminaries!”

Exclusively curated by Gaël Mamine, head of collections at Fondation Azzedine Alaïa, in collaboration with Lanvin Heritage, the Parodi Costume Collection, and SCAD FASH creative director Rafael Gomes, the exhibition showcases garments from designer Azzedine Alaïa’s personal archive that date from the late 1890s to the 1940s.  

Among the highlights is the robe de style, Lanvin’s most iconic silhouette, which offered a sophisticated alternative to the flapper dresses of the 1920s with its wide, drop-waist skirt. The house’s signature “Lanvin blue” infuses the exhibition’s design, further immersing visitors in her world.

The retrospective also includes pieces from the Parodi Costume Collection in Miami, and a SCAD-produced documentary, House of Lanvin, which explores the house’s origins and current revival under the direction of designer Peter Copping.

A replica couture atelier installation in the SCAD FASH film salon offers a behind-the-scenes look at Copping’s creative process for his debut 2025 collections. Likewise, guests can discover original sketches and archival photographs.

“It is a true honor to collaborate with SCAD FASH to reveal the private collection of Jeanne Lanvin that Azzedine Alaïa amassed since 1968,” said Mamine. 

“Alaïa had the vision to preserve French design history — the ‘haute couture savoir faire’ — and the work of couturiers and designers he admired. This exhibition is dedicated to Jeanne Lanvin, a pioneer in the history of fashion who founded her own couture house in the early 1900s and the first designer to create fashions for mothers and daughters, combining le bon goût with the refined couture silhouette. Her timeless vision of haute couture remains.”