PARIS — Alexandre Vauthier is no longer the creative force behind his namesake brand.
Confirming a previous WWD report on Tuesday, the designer said Friday he’d been ousted as artistic director of the 16-year-old label, acquired out of administration by U.S.-based retailer Revolve last year.
“L.A. Rive Droite, the acquisition vehicle of Alexandre Vauthier SARL mainly held by Revolve Group Inc., has dismissed Mr. Alexandre Vauthier from his position as artistic director of the couture house,” said the statement first shared with WWD.
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He “remains a minority shareholder of L.A. Rive Droite but has no longer any operational or artistic role” and has initiated a procedure to contest his dismissal with French labor courts.
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Revolve declined to comment while the Alexandre Vauthier brand did not immediately return emails.
The French fashion brand, which offered couture and ready-to-wear, defaulted in November 2023 after being hit by slow payments from retailers, political and economic uncertainty, and lingering effects from the COVID-19 pandemic.
It subsequently filed for court protection with the Paris commercial court in February 2024, subsequently going into receivership that month, seeking buyers.
Revolve purchased the company in June through L.A. Rive Droite, a French joint stock company. Vauthier transferred all intellectual properties and rights relating to the business in return for a 20 percent stake and voting rights in that company.
In its annual report filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission in February, Revolve indicated that the total acquisition cost of the purchase was $500,000 “and primarily related to legal fees.”
The brand sat out the spring and fall couture seasons in 2024 before returning off-schedule during Paris Couture Week in January.
A revamped e-commerce site under the moniker “Vauthier Paris” with a new logo offers spring 2025 ready-to-wear, with oblique references to a namesake designer.