Jeanne Lanvin was born in France in 1867. She apprenticed to a milliner at age 16, and also trained as a dressmaker before setting up her own millinery shop in 1889.
After her daughter Marguerite was born, Lanvin began designing clothes for her daughter, and her clothes attracted attention. Lanvin was commissioned to design clothes for the children of wealthy Parisians, and soon began designing clothes for their mothers as well.
Lanvin opened her first boutique on the Rue de Faubourg Saint-Honore. Lanvin was admitted to the Chambre Syndicale de la Couture in 1909.
In the 1920s, Lanvin expanded into menswear and perfumes, with her signature perfume, Arpege, becoming one of the most famous in the world.
Lanvin was awarded both the Chevalier and the Officier de l'Order de la Legion d'Honneur. Lanvin was known for coordinated mother-daughter outfits, and she created the chemise-style flapper dress.
Lanvin specialized in creating romantic clothes such as robes de style and full-skirted dresses, capturing for other eras the intricately finished and finely accented fashions of the 1910s, and characteristically used soft floral colors.
After Lanvin's death in 1946, control of the House of Lanvin passed to her daughter Marie-Blanche. After Marie-Blanche's death, control of the house of Lanvin passed to her cousin Yves, and from there left the Lanvin family.
The House of Lanvin has continued to the present day, making it the oldest of all Paris fashion houses.
The current head designer for Lanvin is Alber Elbaz, formerly of Guy Laroche and Yves Saint Laurent.