This year was marked by a series of fashion shake-ups, with major departures and appointments in the highest echelons of the industry seemingly every other week. It started with a bang in January when Matthew M Williams stepped down from Givenchy and ended with veritable fireworks this December as Chanel announced Matthieu Blazy its new artistic director of fashion activities.
Back when the great couture houses were born in the 20th century—think Christian Dior, Chanel, Cristóbal Balenciaga—the role of the couturier was rather simple. They would design collections that were produced with the help of a tight team of in-house seamstresses and put on shows twice a year in exclusive salons for the elite. But as time passed, these household names became global brands, surviving the passing of the founding designers and growing way beyond their vision. Today, they are luxury brands backed by conglomerates with a much bigger goal than just selling a few couture dresses. They sell an aspirational lifestyle—which includes, but is not limited to, garments, accessories, fragrances, and cosmetics—to millions of consumers worldwide.
Naturally, the remit of the head designer has also changed. A creative director today is not just a talented garment designer, but is also a tastemaker, a marketer, and an entertainer (see Pharrell Williams at Louis Vuitton), whose job is to oversee everything from the collections and shows to how the clothes are presented in stores and on social media. They are in charge of the overall brand aesthetic, orchestrating several teams in service of a singular brand universe.
Changing the guard at the creative helm of a fashion house, then, isn’t merely about swapping one name for another, but carries immense weight. New appointments are often necessary to refresh brands that are in a rut and boost business. Karl Lagerfeld reinvigorated Chanel when he joined the house in the ’80s, Tom Ford turned around Gucci’s fortunes in the ’90s, Phoebe Philo revived Céline in the 2010s. While a long-term collaboration between a brand and a designer can do wonders creatively and commercially—for example, Philo was at Céline for eight years—now, long tenures at the helm of a label are a rarity. Take Walter Chiapponi’s departure from Blumarine after just one season as creative director this March or Filippo Grazioli’s departure from Italian brand Missoni after two years this October. Peter Do’s moment at Helmut Lang too ended in November, less than two years after it began.
It’s difficult to pinpoint one reason why the metaphorical revolving doors won’t stop turning, but with the global demand for luxury goods in flux, there are many grounds for brands to change course.
What do the best creative directors bring to the table today? A healthy balance of nostalgia and novelty, welcoming innovation while preserving brand codes. It’s a delicate dance that requires a focus on continuity while bringing freshness to the brand so that it keeps up with the times. In all this, we’ve also seen high-street brands take a bite of the action: first in February, with Zac Posen being named creative director of Gap Inc, and then Clare Waight Keller taking over the reins at Uniqlo.
Below, we recap the year’s buzziest high-profile transitions:
Valentino
In March, Pierpaolo Piccioli announced that he was moving on from Valentino after 25 years. Piccioli first joined the Roman house in 1999 as an accessory designer and shared the role of co-creative director with Maria Grazia Chiuri (who is now in charge at Dior) from 2008 to 2016, after which he was sole creative director for about eight years. A week after the announcement of Piccioli’s departure, Valentino announced that the person replacing him would be no other than Alessandro Michele, the former creative director of Gucci.
Calvin Klein Collection
After a five-year hiatus, Calvin Klein announced that its high-end designer line Collection (which was rebranded to Calvin Klein 205W39NYC by Raf Simons and discontinued after his exit in 2019) would be back in action with Quira founder Veronica Leoni at the helm. Leoni’s impressive resumé includes roles at Jil Sander, Céline under Phoebe Philo, and Moncler. She was most recently design director of menswear and womenswear at The Row.
Chanel
In June, Chanel announced the departure of Virginie Viard, who had been with the maison for 30 years, including five years at the helm after Karl Lagerfeld’s death. Naturally, the announcement set the internet ablaze with rumours about her replacement. Simon Porte Jacquemus, Marc Jacobs, Pierpaolo Piccioli, and Hedi Slimane (who left Céline in October) were just a few of the names floating around as potential successors for months. The Parisian house put a stop to all the speculation in December by naming Bottega Veneta’s Matthieu Blazy its new artistic director of fashion activities.
Bottega Veneta
With Blazy moving to Chanel, the Italian brand swiftly announced the appointment of Carven designer Louise Trotter as its new creative director. Trotter was formerly the creative director of Lacoste and Joseph and has had extensive experience at high-street brands like Whistles, Gap, and Jigsaw.
Lanvin
Peter Copping, previously the creative director of Oscar de la Renta and Nina Ricci, and most recently head of couture and head of VIP and special projects at Balenciaga, was named artistic director of the historic Parisian house in June, a role that was left vacant after Bruno Sialelli left the brand in April 2023.
Givenchy
Another Parisian house that entered the year without a creative director at its helm, Givenchy announced the appointment of Sarah Burton to the position in September, and the industry heaved a sigh of sweet relief. Burton is best known for her 13-year tenure leading Alexander McQueen, a role she took over from the founder himself after his premature passing in 2010. What’s interesting about this appointment is that Burton will be once again following in the footsteps of her friend and mentor as McQueen also served as Givenchy’s creative director, from 1996 to 2001.
Dries Van Noten
Founder and creative director Dries Van Noten stepped down from his eponymous label after showcasing his final show in June, marking the end of an illustrious career spanning 38 years. Julian Klausner, former head of womenswear at the brand, was announced his successor in December. We love an internal promotion (Remember Alessandro Michele at Gucci?).
Tom Ford
In July, Peter Hawkings stepped down as creative director of Tom Ford after less than a year on the job. Hawkings was Ford’s right-hand man for 25 years, first during Ford’s tenure at Gucci and later at his eponymous brand. In September, Colombian-born French designer Haider Ackermann was hired to replace him. Ackermann is also the first-ever creative director of outerwear brand Canada Goose, a role he took up in May.
Céline
In October, LVMH announced that Hedi Slimane would be stepping down from his role as artistic, creative, and image director of Céline, a position he held since 2018 after Philo’s departure. He is succeeded by Michael Rider, a former design director at the brand.
Fendi
The same month, LVMH announced that Kim Jones was exiting Fendi, where he’d been artistic director of womenswear and couture for four years. A successor is yet to be named. Jones remains artistic director of menswear at Dior.
Maison Margiela
In a heartfelt post on Instagram, John Galliano announced that he was moving on from Maison Margiela after 10 years as its creative director this December. While the house hasn’t announced a successor yet, there’s speculation Galliano might be going back to Dior.
