Things have been a disaster over at the legendary couture house Emanuel Ungaro ever since Mounir Moufarrige, the brand’s president since 2006, decided to bring Lindsay Lohan into the mix by giving her a role in designing the line. Why anyone would want a luxury brand associated with the tabloid sensation is beyond most of us – it would be bad enough were she to have appeared in ads, but asking for her creative input is almost insulting.
It’s hard to believe that Moufarrige is the same man who had the vision to bring Stella McCartney over to Chloe following the departure of Karl Lagerfeld. He has, arguably, destroyed the reputation of Emanuel Ungaro. Not only have a slew of major retailers and online outlets refused to place orders, but many longtime Ungaro fans now find themselves embarrassed to admit to wearing one of the house’s designs.
It was just announced, however, that Moufarrige has stepped down and that Ungaro has named Marie Fournier – previously Ungaro’s vice president of business developing and licensing – as its new general manager to oversee all operations.
Moufarrige will continue to advise the brand as a member of its strategic committee. Will LL stay on? TBD.
