Jeanne Lanvin founded her label in 1889 as a millinery studio making it one of the oldest Parisian fashion houses still in operation. In the early 1900s, as she made dresses for her growing daughter, Lanvin launched a children's apparel department in her shop, drawing attention from adult women who wanted custom dresses of their own. She became known for her elaborate embroideries, beading, and custom dyes as well as her highly influential "robes de style." Jeanne Lanvin died in 1946 and included among her successors are Claude Montana, Dominique Morlotti, and Alber Elbaz.

"Women were meant to wear clothes of unabashed femininity."