PARIS — French cashmere label Pellat-Finet has appointed designer and consultant Dryce Lahssan, best known for his Lahssan line of trenchcoats, as creative director of collections and image as it gears up to mark its 30th anniversary next year.
The label, famed for its brightly colored cashmere sweaters with motifs such as marijuana leafs and skulls, was purchased in 2019 by Thierry Gillier, the founder of contemporary rock-chic brand Zadig & Voltaire. At the time of the acquisition, the loss-making label had been under court administration after entering bankruptcy proceedings.
In 2021, Gillier introduced a new brand identity, developed by Lolita Jacobs and Jean-Baptiste Talbourdet-Napoleone, that stripped out the founder’s first name. Earlier this year, the company opened a boutique on Rue Saint-Honoré as it aims to ramp up its visibility and growth.
Lahssan will show his first collection to partners and buyers by appointment during Paris Fashion Week, which is scheduled to run from Sept. 25 to Oct. 3, the brand said in a statement on Friday. He becomes the first creative director since the departure of Lucien Pellat-Finet, who founded the label in 1994.
“I am pleased to entrust the creative direction of Pellat-Finet to Dryce Lahssan. His incredible fashion culture, his luxury expertise and his 360-degree creative approach make him the ideal leader to transport this cult brand into the future,” said Gillier, who has pivoted the line towars ultra-luxurious knits with a more minimal, timeless feel.
A graduate of Studio Berçot in Paris, Lahssan has consulted for brands including Bulgari and Mary Katrantzou. “To take over a brand born from this transgressive mindset is a unique opportunity,” he said about joining Pellat-Finet.
“I am always trying to redefine luxury and move it forward with a disruptive approach. Now I am excited to do so while working with the best cashmere technicians and factories. Pellat-Finet captures the modern tension between luxury and self-expression, and this affords me immense freedom to write new codes and envision the brand’s future — a 3.0 image,” Lahssan added.