Seasoned executive Renaud de Lesquen has joined Rabanne as president, charged with leading both its fashion and fragrance activities.
Most recently chief executive officer of Givenchy, de Lesquen revealed the new role on his LinkedIn page, calling fragrance “one of his first loves.”
“So returning to it today, while continuing to embrace the fashion side, feels especially meaningful,” he wrote. “Rabanne is a maison like no other: bold, expressive, mythical and forever playing with creative boundaries. And, behind the energy we all love, lies a fascinating heritage, rich in layers and nuances that the world has yet to fully discover.”
It is understood he started in the role last week.
“I look forward to helping drive this collective adventure with passion, commitment and purpose,” he wrote in his post, also mentioning his delight in joining Spanish fragrance and beauty group Puig, parent of Rabanne.
He lauded its “culture of excellence, entrepreneurial spirit, long-term vision and, above all, the quality and values of its people.”
De Lesquen wound up an eventful four-year tenure at Givenchy in July 2024, working primarily with its then creative director Matthew M. Williams. Since then, he ran a strategic advisory called Hollyhook.
Before Givenchy, he held the titles of president and CEO of Dior Americas, and president of Dior China. He also spent 10 years at L’Oréal in Paris, as president and CEO of YSL Beauté, and before that as global president of Giorgio Armani Beauty.
A graduate of ESCP Business School, de Lesquen began his career in 1993 at Lancôme, a L’Oréal brand, both in the U.S. and internationally. From 2001 to 2004, he was general manager of Helena Rubinstein in Japan.
Rabanne is known primarily for its hit fragrances, which include 1 Million, Phantom, Fame and Invictus, as well as fashions by French designer Julien Dossena, a protégé of Nicolas Ghesquière who has designed its ready-to-wear collections since 2013.
The house was founded in 1966 by Spanish fashion maverick Paco Rabanne, whose futuristic vision and use of nonconventional materials became a reference in Space Age chic. Puig acquired the house in 1987, streamlining its name to Rabanne in 2023 alongside a push into makeup.