French Ex-Culture Minister: Alber Elbaz's Lanvin Dismissal an 'Unspeakable Injustice'

Alber Elbaz’s dismissal at Lanvin last week is quickly becoming one of the most interesting fashion news stories in years; as it’s developed, the story has highlighted the swiftly shifting nature of the industry and labor issues therein through the lens of one of fashion’s most celebrated geniuses. Today, it just got even more fascinating, as Jack Lang, the former culture minister of France, had some choice words for Elbaz’s ouster.

According to WWD, Lang said the dismissal of a “national treasure” was “incomprehensible and shocking”:

“To cut the wings of this exceptional talent in this way makes me very sad and angry. I can only share in the fervent wish of the Lanvin employees who are strongly and rightly calling for the return of this great designer. This dismissal is an unbearable and unspeakable injustice,” Lang said.

“Talent is not dismissible and our country should be proud of the great Alber Elbaz. He is one of our national treasures. He is an icon and a source of pride to us. We owe him our unfailing support, our respect and our affection,” added the Socialist politician, who has attended Lanvin’s catwalk shows several times.

Lang held the title of Culture Minister three times since 1981; most recently, the former Socialist Party leader served as a special envoy to Cuba and North Korea, as well as an advisor to the UN on piracy (literal piracy, the Somalian kind, as opposed to the kind you do on your computer when you download the third season of The Wire). Although Lang’s defense of Elbaz might be somewhat expected for a person whose job was once regulating and preserving the arts in France, it’s also fascinating to see political figures add their voices to the fray in a story that has quickly turned into a labor issue. Perhaps Lanvin fan FLOTUS will weigh in next.