Amid declining revenue, St. John Knits and its New York-based parent company, Lanvin Group, are making leadership changes to strengthen their position in the luxury market.
In January, St. John Chief Executive Andy Lew was appointed executive president of Lanvin (NYSE: LANV) and tasked with establishing a second headquarters in Europe. In his new role, Lew will oversee strategic implementation, business development, financial management, supply chain operations, IT and brand expansion abroad.
His promotion coincides with the transition of Lanvin CEO Eric Chan to a board director role.
These changes reflect Lanvin’s goal “to strengthen its position in the luxury fashion industry and further advance its strategic goals,” the company said in a statement.
Lanvin on Feb. 28 reported unaudited full-year revenue of 328 million euros ($341 million USD) for 2024, a 23% drop year-over-year. St. John, the third largest of five firms in Lanvin’s portfolio behind its namesake brand and Wolford, recorded preliminary 2024 revenue of 79 million euros ($82 million USD) decreasing 12% from 2023.
The parent organization once again cited a softening luxury market and said it aims to “reinvigorate” its portfolio in 2025 with “realigned operations” and a “strengthened leadership team.”
“Leading the establishment of our European headquarters is a tremendous opportunity to expand our global footprint and elevate our brands,” Lew said.
He will no longer be based at the knit fashion house’s Anaheim headquarters, where it moved in October from its former spot in Irvine.
St. John is now run by an executive management committee, still overseen by Lew, consisting of both existing and new leaders – Chief Financial Officer Andrew Wong is adding on the responsibilities of chief operating officer, Mandy West was appointed chief commercial officer and Lauren Parrish is the brand’s new chief merchandising officer as of Feb. 26.
West worked at Nike and Tesla before joining St. John in 2019. Previously senior vice president of retail, wholesale and buying, she will continue to lead the apparel firm’s expansion of its brick-and-mortar stores and e-commerce platform.
Parrish has launched a few of her own apparel brands, such as Brochu Walker, Rachel Zoe Inc. and ParrishLA, and will take on the design and marketing at the local fashion house.
“I look forward to working with them on charting our growing vision for St. John,” Lew told trade publication Women’s Wear Daily.
Lanvin’s other brands such as Sergio Rossi and Wolford changed creative directions and faced logistic disruptions, respectively, in 2024 which also contributed to the company’s overall decline in revenue. Finalized 2024 results will be released in April.
The group expects the recent executive appointments and its efforts in consolidating the store network to boost sales in 2025. Lanvin has a market cap of $247 million at press time.
