In the months that followed the Spring/Summer 2026 season, we have seen a series of new hires in the communications, marketing and design departments of all major houses. Our new series ‘Fashion s Real Reset Starts Now’ looks at all these changes and how they will redefine the fashion industry in the years to come.
Rose gold, girl bosses, ankle socks, photo dumps, listicles, side parts… Millennials seem to be the most-ridiculed generation in history, partly because nobody cared about generational discourse as much as millennial media companies did in their heyday. (See: pretty much all Buzzfeed quizzes, Vice op-eds and Vox explainers of the 2010s.) In a way, we are the creators of our own demise.
The thing is, we are also now parents, home owners and, increasingly, people’s bosses. Of the 19 creative director appointments that took place in 2025, 13 were millennial designers, and 11 of which were at the helm of a legacy fashion brand.
What does this generational shift mean for fashion? We asked 14 Gen Y fashion insiders to reflect on the new status quo.
Everything is being reinvented and rewritten, from governments to payment systems to how we fundamentally communicate, and build relationships and communities. Humanity has changed, and fashion is a reflection of that always. So the old, dusty system had to innovate and host the people that understand that space, millennials.
Millennial creative directors are effective because we sit between worlds. We respect heritage and brand equity, but we also grew up alongside the internet, platforms and perpetual disruption. We understand that authority today is earned through relevance, fluency and responsiveness, not mystique and perceived perception.
As the millennial leaders build teams, the Gen Z pathways become embedded and uplifted; community-first thinking, gaming, social responsibility, digital identity and creator economies reframe fashion from a broadcast industry to a participatory one. My own approach as CEO reflects that reality. Staying close to emerging tech isn’t optional, it’s how brands remain competitive, credible and culturally alive, especially with the rise of sustainability-based compliance.
The industry is in need of modernization, because it has a lot of legacy systems and processes in place that feel outdated in today’s world. Having grown up through the birth of the internet, the fracturing of the media landscape and the advent of social media, millennial designers inherently understand how to engage the new generation of luxury customers. Designers’ biggest challenges will be how they adapt to the new reality of the AI revolution.
Hopefully, a new generation of executives will work alongside them to not just rethink the creativity and approach to world-building, but also how to structure a brand to cater to the new generations of customers and their expectations of service, experience and relationships.
My own approach is much more informal, collaborative and iterative than I think ways of working have been historically. I aim to empower all team members, but most importantly the youngest, to harness their creativity. This is increasingly important, as us millennials are no longer young and cool, so we need to rely on the next generations to keep us in step with the latest behaviors and trends that are going to resonate with their peers.
Change is good for all industries, but it did feel seismic this year. I think many brands were looking for new ways to grow their businesses and audiences. Though it seemed to coincide with a huge shift, which I can only hope will end up being positive for the industry. Covid certainly created a stagnation with creative ideas, and there was a reliance on data over creativity at times, along with huge changes in the wholesale industry — all of this created a need for change.
I would like to think that a new generation is being brought into businesses and brands to help create momentum. I feel proud to know a number of the appointments this year, whether at the executive level or internally, within their marketing, retail and PR teams. Having all grown up in this industry, it’s wonderful to see them being recognized. I hope the industry will be kind to them and give them the grace, time and patience to deliver.
As a millennial, I feel I have straddled a few ways of working that fashion has been through these last 20 years. The pace these last five years, in particular, has been very fast, and you have to have structures and boundaries to create any semblance of balance. I certainly look to try and support designers and brands that are on the rise, whether millennial or younger, and again looking to youth in my team for guidance on trends and cultures that I may not be so tapped into. I respect and admire women who truly design for women more as I grow older, and as a mother, too.
The [creative] reset reflects pressures that have been building over time. Fashion and retail were running on a cycle built for a different era — too many drops, too much noise, not enough meaning. As the trend cycles accelerated, driven by social media, more product entered the system. Meanwhile, cultural and emotional impact declined. This reset, to me, feels like an opportunity for brands to reconnect with their customers authentically.
Millennials grew up online, watching culture evolve in real time. That experience shapes a different kind of leadership, which is more tuned into context and conversation. There’s less focus on traditional hierarchy and more on collaboration. When teams are collaborative, adaptive and willing to challenge boundaries, the work takes on a new energy and direction.
Millennials are also very comfortable questioning the status quo. We don’t treat creativity and strategy, or emotion and business, as separate ideas. Personally, I’m driven by intention, making sure what I’m doing matters, and not just ticking boxes. Every idea needs a reason to exist, not just a reason to sell.
Our generation leads with openness. We’re comfortable saying, “Here’s what we’re working on,” rather than projecting perfection, which I think consumers genuinely respond to. I think the creative reset comes down to consumers wanting more meaning from the brands they support. People are asking better questions now: why does this exist? Who made it? What does it stand for?
When you have teams that share the same values, you can move faster and have braver conversations. There’s less hierarchy, and more willingness to question the status quo together. I think that energy is contagious and it opens up space for real innovation.
I started Emma Lewisham believing skincare could be natural, high-performing, and operate from a genuinely thoughtful and responsible place — which is one of the hardest standards to meet in beauty. I think what got me here is something I recognize in a lot of founders my age: we weren’t handed anything, so we learned to build it ourselves. There’s a resilience and work ethic that comes from that. But equally, we’re not willing to build something that doesn’t reflect our values. For me, those two things go together — the grit to keep going, and the clarity about why it matters.
Every now and then, a certain energy reaches its peak and there’s a need for newness. I think we just entered a new fashion cycle that was inevitable. For many of the big brands, this so-called ‘reset’ was a natural, inevitable action, while some brands just followed thinking they also needed to have a new energy. But only time — and sales — will tell which one was right or wrong.
From the perspective of a millennial guy, we grew up as technological and social shifts started to happen around the world. At the same time, all the millennial fashion fans were growing up watching and worshipping the designers that still had traditional values and ways of working. So I think millennials are a generation that comes with a unique mix of tradition and innovation, which is relatable to different generations.
I expect all the millennial designers to be experimental and collaborative, while still framed by fashion’s traditions. All the new CEOs and CMOs should try to be less hierarchical; instead, they should be team players, blending strategy, culture, tech and creativity in one, as these days, a fashion brand means more than just a product. Ironically, the goal is still to sell, but if you wrap it nicely, you can sell better and faster.
Many of these newly appointed creative directors are highly attuned to digital storytelling and the broader cultural discourse. The real challenge — and adventure — lies in reconciling a house’s established codes with their own design language, as we see with Demna at Gucci. This generational perspective will allow them to lead with creativity and cultural relevance, shaping pieces that are innovative yet timeless, while resonating both now and in the seasons to come.
This refresh encourages more collaborative and agile ways of working, embraces experimentation, and fosters a stronger dialogue between creativity, strategy and cultural relevance. It’s not just about new design ideas, but about redefining how teams operate, make decisions and connect with the broader cultural conversation, ensuring the industry evolves while remaining true to its heritage.
Being a millennial certainly informs the way I approach my work, too. It has shaped my perspective on collaboration, on adaptability and on the importance of staying culturally attuned. I value a balance between honoring tradition and experimenting with new ideas, and I think this generational mindset encourages both creativity and a thoughtful approach to how projects are executed and experienced. I love what I do, and I’m looking forward to seeing where the industry goes in the next five years. As long as there are exciting products and talents to discover, I’m content.
Without knowing it, I’m sure being millennial has affected us in some way. [Co-founder] Daniel [Brix] and I — and Rains — grew up with the rise of digital and social. We’ve always seen them as our strength, but we also remember a time before work and culture was dictated by screens.
At the very start of Rains, Daniel and I were the ones meeting customers and clients and telling our story ourselves. It created a bond with people, many of which we still work with today. Without this ‘offline’ connection, we might not be the company we are today.
Ultimately, we’re comfortable moving between both worlds. Right now, people are asking for both digital efficiency and analog connection. Being able to balance those two, rather than defaulting to one, has shaped how we approach the business.
There’s been a notable shift in how audiences engage with fashion and luxury over the past few years. Fashion has become pop culture, and, in the information age, consumers are more informed about their purchases than ever. These days, fewer people are drawn to a luxury brand simply because of its name: instead, they want to understand the landscape it inhabits, the values it reflects, and the creative culture it represents.
A lot of the newly appointed creative directors come from the same generation they are seeking to speak to, so they have an instinctive understanding of that shift in values. These are people who don’t need to be convinced of the impact of social media, or the importance of building authentic, visible communities.
I don’t think any creative director in 2026 could possibly claim to be doing things as a solo visionary: the role is simply too expansive, and you need to be more curatorial in your approach by building a brilliant team. When everyone on a team is speaking the same language and is trusted in their field of expertise, you don’t have to justify decisions with a million meetings and metrics — and you can build something real and human at scale.
In the simplest terms, consumers are changing. Demands are changing and brands need to adapt to survive. We’ve been acting on that at Rains, as you saw when we spoke recently. Our priorities have changed from reach to investing in our retail spaces and experiential moments, where we can properly connect with our consumers and build affinity for the long term.
Community is a bit of a buzzword, but ultimately, customer loyalty is key to success, which means leadership now requires a real understanding of very different customer needs, across ages and perspectives. No single person has that full picture.
What’s made the difference for us is working with teams that bring an actual mix of experiences, and being open to evolving how decisions are made along the way. I hope these newly appointed leaders continue to make space for that kind of collaboration.
The creative reset came about for multiple reasons, all adding up to a sort of perfect storm. Sales slowed for some brands, with creative directors repositioned as part of turnaround strategies. Another reason, in my opinion, is that fashion at its core wants to innovate; having a different creative vision is part of that process.
I don’t think that being part of a specific generation at that level of creative leadership indicates similarities in the way individuals think. Rather, there will be parallels with leaders embracing technology and communication strategies that are close to a millennial mindset: innately digital, intuitive and 360.
I think there is a big advantage to be had with an adaptable, multi-generational team, bringing together a deep understanding of a brand’s heritage and legacy, while matching that with the right energy and view to the future. A millennial leader is well-positioned to bridge the existing cohort of figureheads, while broadly looking to the next-generation customer, team and ideas.
Millennials were the last generation to not have a social media education. Our interactions were largely face-to-face and spontaneous. I think having a big portion of creative directors being millennials will help to connect the past, present and future of the industry. Millennials understand what the youth needs, what the ‘past markets’ still want, and how to lead the present. As a millennial myself, my ultimate goal is to provide a message through my work that can be understood by people across the world. I think that applies to most professionals of my generation.
Beyond the creative directors, a generational replacement in the highest spheres of big corporations and the creative industries is also crucial for a bright future. Millennials in places of power can show a way of doing business that is both realistic and imaginative. I think millennial executives can change old behaviors in the industry — they will listen to the next generation, take risks that were perhaps more complicated before, and unify the industry to guide it through the next 20 years powerfully.
A prolonged cost of living crisis, economic uncertainty and luxury price increases — often without higher quality — have forced consumers to rethink value. Luxury is shifting away from accumulating objects to prioritizing experiences that enhance our wellbeing. Wellness and longevity have become the ultimate status symbols, now shaping every luxury sector, from fashion and beauty to hospitality and travel. For millennials, rapid change and uncertainty are the norm, not the exception. Comfort with ambiguity and the ability to pivot quickly are core to how we lead. Growing up in the digital age — while still remembering a pre-digital world — gives us both fluency and perspective. As a result, we see AI not as a disruption, but as a tool to enhance creativity and support brand transformation. Millennials are value-driven and prioritize inclusion, representation and social impact. As a millennial myself, leading a largely millennial team, it’s important that I can clearly articulate mission and purpose.
In communications, we see that brands are under the ever-increasing pressure to articulate a clear point of view, which is not only culturally significant and able to cut through the noise, but commercially viable, too.
Many of the newly appointed creative directors are millennials who have grown up with an understanding that creative expression alone isn’t enough when trying to reach an increasingly savvy consumer in a saturated market. This mindset can result in a holistic approach that takes the whole picture into consideration: brand, communications and commercial viability.
On a personal level, being part of this generation has shaped how I work. In recent years, the ability to adapt has become more essential than ever. I first cut my teeth in PR when print and what would now be thought of as legacy media was the main avenue for a brand to reach customers. Since then, I’ve witnessed the advent of digital platforms — the ‘original’ bloggers, social media and Substack. I hope this gives me a balanced perspective on the landscape and informs my ability to adapt to the constantly shifting goalposts when it comes to brand communications.
With additional reporting by Lucy Maguire.
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