It’s official. Balenciaga newly appointed creative director Pierpaolo Piccioli will join the list of designer debuts in September and October that includes Matthieu Blazy at Chanel, Dario Vitale at Versace, Louise Trotter at Bottega Veneta, Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez at Loewe and, of course, the “first hint” of Demna’s creative vision at Gucci.
Amid the frenzy, many questions arise: will the recently appointed designers bring their customers, celebrities and teams with them to their new homes? Will they follow in the footsteps of their predecessors or go for creative disruption? Also, in a climate where budget cuts are the order of the day, will brands opt for more intimate shows or go all out for the debut shows? How can they stand out during such a high-profile season? Which designers will show up to support their peers’ debuts?
And while the fashion industry is eagerly awaiting these debuts, we should not forget that second outings are often more defining. “The second show is usually richer, and if it’s strong, everyone forgets the first. The first show is the one that puts the most pressure on the creative director, but the second and the third shows are more important for the company,” fashion consultant Jean-Jacques Picart told Vogue Business last year.
A second show has more firepower commercially, because typically between the first and second, the new creative designer finetunes a vision and other departments like merchandising and image align themselves with the vision of the designer. “The second show has more impact because everything is consistent,” Institut Français de la Mode professor Benjamin Simmenauer also explained last year.
These creative directors don’t have the same amount of time to prepare their collections. For example, Trotter joined Bottega Veneta at the end of January, Blazy joined Chanel on 1 April, while Piccioli is only about to join Balenciaga.
Gucci’s incoming creative director, Demna, might not choose a full-fledged show given his last show for Balenciaga will be couture in July, and many businesses, including ateliers in Italy, shut down in August for summer holidays. But the “first hint” of Demna s creative vision at Gucci will be unveiled in September, Kering deputy CEO Francesca Bellettini confirmed during the group’s Q1 earnings call. The house didn’t comment on the precise format.
Now, without further ado, here’s a list of the debuts and what’s at stake in September and October. (Also, don’t miss my colleague José Criales-Unzueta’s piece on the debuts of the summer, including Jonathan Anderson’s Dior Men and Michael Rider’s Celine.)
Balenciaga: Pierpaolo Piccioli
The fashion industry has been eagerly awaiting the announcement since Demna was appointed creative director of Gucci in March. On Monday, Balenciaga announced the appointment of Pierpaolo Piccioli as creative director. His mastery of couture is beyond question, and fashion experts are excited to see his take on the legacy of Cristóbal Balenciaga and Demna, and how his romantic universe will translate in his ready-to-wear proposal for the house. The business community is likely to rejoice too. “The arrival of a very respected name at Balenciaga will be seen by investors as a positive for Kering,” Mario Ortelli, managing director of Ortelli Co. noted.
Bottega Veneta: Louise Trotter
Louise Trotter joins from French heritage brand Carven, where she was creative director since February 2023. Before that, she was creative director of Lacoste between October 2018 and January 2023, following a nine-year stint at Joseph. She joins Bottega Veneta with the brief to build on Matthieu Blazy’s strong legacy at the house. Following in Blazy’s footsteps comes with expectations. With her strong track record at creating sophisticated, chic and wearable pieces, she has the potential to expand the ready-to-wear. The house, known for its leather craftsmanship, developed other categories like ready-to-wear notably during the era of Tomas Maier between 2001 and 2018. She recently attended an event for Dia Beacon with brand ambassador Julianne Moore. Ahead of her debut at Milan Fashion Week, Moore wore Trotter’s first dress for the house at Cannes. To wit, Trotter is the only female designer in the group of September debuts.
Carven: Mark Thomas
Carven appointed Mark Thomas as director of design in March. The house, owned by China’s ICCF Group, chose to promote from within after Louise Trotter exited in January to take the creative helm of Bottega Veneta. Thomas joined Carven in 2023 as senior designer. In just three seasons at Carven, Trotter, with Thomas as her second-in-command, managed to inject new energy into the house. He has a solid CV (Thomas was at Helmut Lang as creative director from 2017 to 2019 before reuniting with Trotter at Lacoste before heading to Carven), and is very well-liked within Paris fashion circles.
Chanel: Matthieu Blazy
Expectations for Blazy’s October debut in Paris are high. “Everyone s watching Matthieu Blazy’s Instagram stories, looking for hints as to what his proposal will be,” an industry insider notes.
Speculations on Chanel finally launching menswear are heating up again, fuelled by the fact that Blazy earned his menswear stripes under Raf Simons and then at Bottega Veneta (and the fact that Chanel recently released an eyewear campaign starring American rapper Kendrick Lamar, not to mention that Timothée Chalamet has been seen wearing Chanel jackets, scarves and bags). It would make sense: Chanel is the only luxury megabrand that’s not present in menswear. In an interview with Vogue Business in May 2023, global CEO Leena Nair dismissed the idea of expanding to the menswear category: “We stay true to the spirit of our founder. Gabrielle Chanel didn’t create clothes. She created a freedom of movement for women. It was about supporting women to become who they want to be.”
Beyond the collection, expectations of the show itself are high. Karl Lagerfeld’s extraordinary shows under the glass roof of the Grand Palais were always the spectacle of the season. A top priority for Blazy is to conceive a soulful show that leaves us in high spirits. At Bottega Veneta, he mastered the art of scenography, whether it was the Gaetano Pesce chairs for SS23 or those animal-shaped beanbag chairs for SS25. That bodes well for his Chanel debut show.
Gucci: Demna
Before Gucci, Demna’s last couture collection for Balenciaga will certainly be a hot ticket. His debut at Gucci in September, too.
We may not know the format, but the thing we know for sure is that the house is in need of a turnaround. Sales plummeted from €10.5 billion in 2022 to €7.7 billion in 2024. The latest set of results at Gucci (-25 per cent in Q1) further increases expectations on Demna as well as CEO Stefano Cantino.
“Demna is one of the most influential and talented designers of his generation,” Kering CEO François-Henri Pinault said during the annual general meeting last month. While his nomination was not well received by investors initially (it sent the Kering share down 12 per cent), it was met with enthusiasm by the fashion industry, according to the management. “After the nomination of Demna, I never received so many CVs of creative people and designers who want to join the team,” Bellettini said during the earnings call.
For consultant Dryce Lahssan, the big question is: “Can Demna completely reinvent his creative process that we have come to know and love at Balenciaga, which consists of detours, deconstructing and irony? Or can it be the right formula for Gucci?” Kering’s top brass are confident in Demna’s ability to embrace the DNA of Gucci.
Jean Paul Gaultier: Duran Lantink
This is a big moment for the Puig-owned brand that has not only appointed a new creative director but has also changed strategy, bringing an end to the rotating designer model it embraced in 2021. Lantink will design both ready-to-wear and couture. The Dutch designer, who was born in 1988, founded his womenswear, menswear and genderless label in 2016, creating upcycled garments and accessories. His bold, exaggerated silhouettes — think linebacker padding on the shoulders and upper torso — stand out at a time when fashion is playing it safe. Lantink’s Autumn/Winter 2025 show in March was among the most talked-about of this season in Paris. The designer opened his show with a woman wearing a man’s chest plate and closed with a man wearing a woman’s breast plate. It was audacious, visually stimulating, if divisive. Jean Paul Gaultier will most likely be attending the show.
Jil Sander: Simone Bellotti
It’s a reset for Renzo Rosso’s OTB-owned brand. In February, the brand recruited LVMH veteran executive Serge Brunschwig as CEO, and in March, it was announced that Simone Bellotti would be succeeding Luke and Lucie Meier as creative director. Prior to that, Bellotti was creative director of Bally (since November 2023).
David Martin, editor-in-chief of Odda magazine, is looking forward to Bellotti’s debut at Jil Sander: “Simone did a great job at Bally, with nods to Swiss culture and a diverse casting. He even created a hit bag when he arrived, the Belle bag inspired by the shape of Swiss cowbells.” Martin went on to praise Bellotti’s personality. “Everyone loves Simone. He is part of this group of people in Milan who are very dedicated to craft. I hope he will bring back the clean and ethereal aesthetic of the Raf Simons era at Jil Sander (from 2005 to 2012). Those campaigns were spectacular.”
Loewe: Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez
As Loewe confirmed to Vogue Business on 15 May, McCollough and Hernandez’s debut will be in October. The duo succeeds longtime creative director Jonathan Anderson, who was appointed at the artistic helm of Dior Men.
“Jonathan Anderson has brilliantly reinvented and embodied Loewe. He has become almost inseparable from it, so big shoes to fill,” notes Lahssan. “Historically, Paris has not been kind to American designers who take over a historic house. They absolutely must find their creative angle, but also their Parisian creative community to help them elevate and calibrate their proposition to Parisian standards.”
McCollough and Hernandez rose to prominence in 2002, when, fresh from Parsons School of Design, they introduced Proenza Schouler — a New York label that would become a mainstay for NYFW for two decades. They stepped down from Proenza Schouler earlier this year before being appointed at Loewe. Their deep understanding of silhouettes, accessories and the red carpet game makes them a strong fit for the house.
Mugler: Miguel Castro Freitas
The group of recently appointed designers mixes big names and behind-the-scenes talents. Castro Freitas falls in the latter category. Yet the Portuguese CSM graduate who is now based in Paris has 20 years of experience working for established luxury houses under his belt.
Castro Freitas’s new job will thrust him into the spotlight as he succeeds Casey Cadwallader, whose seven-year tenure turned Mugler into the go-to brand for big-name performers and celebrities. Castro Freitas was most recently creative director for the Max Mara-owned brand Sportmax from the SS21 to SS24 seasons. “As one of the 20th century’s great couturiers, Mr Mugler reimagined the power and limits of fashion. Alongside the teams, I am thrilled to bring my own vision, story and emotion to this monumental heritage,” said Castro Freitas at the time of his appointment. Fashion tastemakers are curious to see what he brings to the brand.
Versace: Dario Vitale
Though Dario Vitale may also be relatively unknown to the public, he has a winning streak under his belt. He was most recently the ready-to-wear and brand image design director at Miu Miu, whose growth rates have been defying the odds. After working with Miuccia Prada for many years, he will work alongside Donatella Versace as chief creative officer of Versace (she became chief brand ambassador).
Can Vitale create a Miu Miu phenomenon at Versace? What Miu Miu and Versace have in common is a reflection of the chic bourgeois Italian woman. He has the ability to reinterpret that archetype through the Versace archives and play with the house’s codes, including its iconic Medusa. Now Versace is part of the Prada Group. “Versace is a brand with great global awareness, heritage and legitimacy in many product categories. If managed well and with the right creative boost, Versace could be a gold mine,” Ortelli recently told Vogue Business. Vitale will present his debut show in Milan in September. Will Donatella Versace and Miuccia Prada attend Vitale’s debut?
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