PARIS — Alberto Lavia has been named chairman of Kenzo, the fashion house owned by LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton, effective today.
This confirms a report in WWD July 24 that the former chairman of upscale Italian lingerie and apparel maker Gruppo La Perla was headed to the French luxury goods group.
Further reinforcing its management, Kenzo also promoted James Greenfield to senior vice president in charge of women’s ready-to-wear, licenses and communication. He previously had been vice president of the women’s rtw business unit and head of communications.
Lavia, who quit La Perla in June after a two-year stint, has held a series of management posts in Europe for Polo Ralph Lauren and Calvin Klein. He succeeds Francois Steiner, who had been Kenzo’s president and chief executive officer since 2003.
Sources said Steiner had recently clashed with designer Antonio Marras, who was appointed artistic director the same year Steiner arrived. An internal LVMH memo noted that Steiner “decided to pursue new career directions.”
Greenfield, a five-year veteran of LVMH, has also worked at L’Oréal and the Printemps department store.
The two men take up their new posts at Kenzo as the house undergoes an image renovation under Marras, who recently unveiled a redesigned flagship here on the Place des Victoires. Kenzo operates 30 stores worldwide.
Lavia’s successor at La Perla has yet to be named.