Fashion’s Real Reset Starts Now

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.

The September to remember saw a whopping 15 creative director debuts at luxury’s biggest fashion houses. But fashion’s real reset starts now.

A designer’s second collection is arguably more significant than the first. While debut shows put pressure on the creative directors, the second and third shows are more important for the company, which has to prove it can back up the designer’s vision. And let’s not forget, those debut collections we saw in September will also hit stores early this year.

This makes the importance of robust operations, marketing and communications teams that have a clear understanding of the vision all the more pronounced. In 2025, we saw a series of hires and promotions throughout luxury’s major houses. Below, we’ve compiled a list of the people moves within the houses that had a creative director debut in 2025.

A 34-year-old insurgent from Vetements, Demna Gvasalia was named Balenciaga creative director in 2015. His tenure at the Kering house ushered in an era of oversized, streetwear-inspired luxury that shifted the fashion paradigm. Former Valentino creative director Pierpaolo Piccioli succeeded Demna in May 2025, after his 10-year run. Piccioli’s Balenciaga debuted in October, blending some edgy Demna-isms with Cristóbal Balenciaga’s codes.

Balenciaga also has a new(ish) executive team. Longtime CEO Cédric Charbit exited the label in January 2025 to become CEO of Kering sibling Saint Laurent. Gianfranco Gianangeli was appointed CEO of Balenciaga that same month, and spent the year steering the brand through the Demna-to-Piccioli transition. He promoted chief product officer Nathalie Raynaud to deputy CEO in May 2025, just as chief marketing officer Ludivine Pont exited the label after five years (the CMO position remains on ice).

From 2019 to 2023, Blumarine underwent somewhat of a renaissance in the creative hands of Nicola Brognano, whose Y2K flourish manifested itself in the brand’s butterfly camisole, low-slung denim and metallics. But some shaky times followed. Brognano departed the Italian label in October 2023, opening the door for Walter Chiapponi, who brought with him a more mature, classic take. The Tod’s alum directed Blumarine for just one season before exiting in March 2024. It was later announced that London-based Georgian designer David Koma would fill the void.

Barbara Baudo, who became Blumarine managing director in November 2023, wanted to give Koma time to develop his vision. After bypassing the SS25 season, Koma dug his roots in with a pre-fall collection that was lighter and more whimsical, in hopes of reviving the house.

Bottega Veneta isn’t shy of a creative transition. During the pandemic, former creative director Daniel Lee unexpectedly exited the house in 2021, after turning the business around through his fresh approach to craft. Lee’s second-in-command, Matthieu Blazy, took the helm shortly after. When Blazy was tapped to be Chanel artistic director in December 2024, Joseph alum Louise Trotter arrived to fill the void. As creative director of Carven, the British designer had etched her name with a sophisticated, pared-back approach to luxury, while her Bottega debut, rich in texture, was well received by critics.

CEO Bartolomeo Rongone, who joined in 2019, steered the house through both transitions. He left in January 2026 for Moncler Group, with a replacement yet to be named. As for the communications team, Soline Lamusse became senior PR and communications manager for Northern Europe in December 2025, while Ingy Hodhod was promoted to senior PR manager for the US in May.

Calvin Klein, a brand that came up among ’90s minimalism and whose logo found a place across generations, reset itself for a return to the runway. In May 2024, the brand named Veronica Leoni as creative director of its Calvin Klein Collection. Calvin Klein had been designer-less since chief creative officer Raf Simons exited in late 2018. Spurred by a scattering of cultural moments, from Jeremy Allen White’s underwear campaign to Zendaya’s CK suit for the Challengers premiere, global brand president Eva Serrano felt it was time for a creative leader to take the US brand back to fashion week.

But Serrano exited the brand the following May, just one season after Leoni’s New York Fashion Week debut. David Savman transitioned into the chief executive role that same month. Savman hailed from parent company PVH, where he was global head of operations and chief supply chain officer; experience that was perhaps vital in a year rocked by tariffs and other supply chain woes.

Séverine Merle joined the LVMH-owned house of Céline as CEO in April 2017, after Marco Gobbetti left for Burberry. When creative director Hedi Slimane exited the brand in October 2024, Merle announced Michael Rider as Celine’s next creative leader the same day.

Rider’s arrival was a homecoming of sorts. The American designer was previously employed as design director at the brand, working there for a decade that spanned Phoebe Philo’s tenure (2008-2017). His debut consisted of a well-received co-ed show filled with references to — and evolutions of — Celine’s heritage.

It’s a new era at Chanel. April 2025 saw Matthieu Blazy assume the artistic director role for the house’s fashion activities, after the exit of longtime creative lead Virginie Viard created a vacancy for arguably the biggest job in fashion. Joining from Bottega Veneta, where he spent three years as creative director, Blazy brought with him Marie-Valentine Girbal, his head of research, “in practice, his right hand”, according to a Vogue article; Artur Davtyan, his design director of ready-to-wear; Krzysztof Lukasik, design director of accessories; and fashion creative concepts and talent director Michael Giugliano. Andrew Heather, who previously worked at Margiela Artisanal, also joined the team as design director of haute couture. Blazy’s much-anticipated debut exceeded expectations.

The designer’s arrival prompted a rethink of the operational structure: dedicated teams for each of Chanel’s 10 annual collections, instead of collectively building them one after another. On the executive side, Chanel has seen a number of appointments since Leena Nair took on the role of global CEO at the end of January 2022. Recent hires include Ruth Warder as global chief communications officer and Katie Welch as US head of brand and company communications.

Delphine Arnault began working for LVMH, which her father Bernard founded in the 1980s, in 2000 at John Galliano’s own label, while he was creatively leading Dior. Various roles in between culminated in Arnault’s appointment as Dior CEO in February 2023. Alongside Dior, Arnault has continued to support young design talent, a roster including Jonathan Anderson. The former creative director of LVMH’s Loewe was brought on in a staggered appointment: first succeeding Kim Jones as creative director of menswear (April 2025); then, Maria Grazia Chiuri across women’s haute couture, ready-to-wear and accessories (June 2025).

The news broke as the LVMH reshuffle gained pace. Just two days prior, Fendi chief executive Pierre-Emmanuel Angeloglou joined Dior as deputy CEO. Nina Christen, now design director of shoes, followed Anderson from Loewe in June 2025 (SS26 was, after all, lauded for its footwear), while Michela Kalb hailed from Louis Vuitton as director of haute couture, women’s and men’s ready-to-wear, women’s shoes, and baby. Peter Utz was then appointed global PR director, responsible for celebrity relations, having held roles at Celine and Saint Laurent. In the latest move, Alessandro Valenti, who led Givenchy from July 2024, was appointed deputy managing director of Christian Dior Couture in January 2026.

Six months after beloved designer Dries Van Noten presented his last collection, his Puig-owned house appointed Julian Klausner as its next creative director. The Belgian designer had worked alongside Van Noten on the women’s collections since 2018. Under Klausner, the team has remained the same. His women’s debut in March and men’s debut in June were quieter than others, but acclaimed by critics, earning him the title of “Most Underrated Designer Working Today” in Vogue Runway’s industry poll. The brand’s president, Axel Keller, has held his role for nearly five years.

In the spirit of the new year — and the LVMH executive reshuffle — Amandine Ohayon was named Givenchy CEO in January 2026, succeeding Alessandro Valenti, who transferred across the luxury group to Dior. Sarah Burton was named creative director of the heritage maison in September 2024, succeeding Matthew Williams, who had spent three years in the role. Burton’s appointment at Givenchy came as a relief to many, as one of the few women to be part of a reset dominated by men.

Burton showed her debut and sophomore collections in March 2025 and October, respectively. In the months approaching her FW25 debut, Gucci veteran Benjamin Cercio arrived as Givenchy’s global communications director. director.

Since the departure of creative director Alessandro Michele in 2022 and president Marco Bizzarri in 2023, Gucci — the crown jewel of Kering’s brand portfolio — has remained in flux. Following Michele’s exit, the brand tapped Valentino’s design team and brought on the relatively unknown Sabato De Sarno to creatively lead the house. But after two years marked by dwindling sales, the designer vacated in February 2025.

Luxury streetwear maverick Demna succeeded De Sarno in July. Ahead of his debut show this February, Demna released two well-received capsule collections inspired by the Gucci archive for SS25 and pre-fall 2026, La Famiglia and Generation Gucci.

Throughout the creative turbulence, Gucci has also made several switches to its executive line-up. Stefano Cantino came on board as Gucci CEO in October 2024. Cantino, who previously oversaw communications and image at Louis Vuitton, had a task on his hands: Gucci sales had dropped 19% in the second quarter of 2024. Four months after Cantino’s arrival, De Sarno left the house.

Cantino exited the business in September 2025, and Francesca Bellettini succeeded him. Over the last year, Gucci has made various C-suite hires, including CFO Gianluca de Ficchy (previously at Renault) and chief client, marketing and commercial officer Dario Gargiulo (previously Greater China CEO of Bottega Veneta).

Among all the changes, François Henri-Pinault, who both owns and ran Kering from 2005, stepped back from his role as CEO to become group chair in September 2025. Former Renault CEO Luca de Meo took over as CEO the same month.

Jean Paul Gaultier appointed Duran Lantink as creative director in April 2025 to oversee couture and ready-to-wear. By placing the Dutch talent in an official role, the brand put the brakes on its rotating designer model, which began in 2020 following the retirement of its namesake founder on the brand’s 50th anniversary. In those five years, Chitose Abe, Glenn Martens, Olivier Rousteing, Haider Ackermann, Julien Dossena, Simone Rocha, Nicolas Di Felice, and Ludovic de Saint Sernin each tried their hand at designing collections for the Puig-owned house.

Lantink’s job at JPG marks the 39-year-old’s first time heading up a house outside of his own, which he founded in 2016; since taking on the role, the Duran Lantink label has been placed on hold. Lantink works under Antoine Gagey, who has served as the brand’s general manager since October 2019. As the creative director assumed his role, Mehdy Delannée was brought on as head of image, with experience at Dior and Galeries Lafayette.

Jil Sander’s creative reset began in February 2025. Co-creative directors Luke and Lucie Meier announced they were leaving the brand they’d creatively led for seven years, including through its OTB acquisition, following their FW25 show in Berlin. A month later, Jil Sander announced that it had tapped Simone Bellotti to take their place, who joined after two and a half years leading Bally’s creative vision and a 16-year tenure at Gucci. Bellotti’s debut collection received rave reviews. While recent stewards of the brand have taken it in different directions, from Raf Simons’s couture-like designs to the Meiers’s exploration of textures and shapes, Bellotti’s vision is aligned more readily with the founder’s ’90s sophistication.

In tandem with the creative transition, Serge Brunschwig joined as CEO in February 2025, though he exited unexpectedly just six months later. Since Brunschwig’s departure, Ubaldo Minelli has occupied the chief executive role, alongside his position as OTB Group CEO.

Lanvin had been searching for its next artistic director since the departure of Bruno Sialelli in April 2023, before appointing Peter Copping, a couturier with the technical expertise to bring a renewed relevance to the house. The seasoned designer, known for his feminine creations, joined the heritage maison in September 2024. Following two years leading design at Oscar de la Renta (as de la Renta’s successor), Copping had most recently headed up the VIP and special projects ateliers at Balenciaga.

After Lanvin Group CEO Eric Chan left his now-defunct role in December 2023, Lanvin appointed Andy Lew as executive president to lead the group. Under Lew, a second European HQ was opened as part of wider expansion plans, which included Lanvin’s return to Paris Fashion Week. It fell to Copping to make the first debut of the year, while mirroring a similar design magic to Lanvin’s historical star designer Alber Elbaz.

Loewe transitioned from a quiet leather goods house to an Anderson-era crown jewel — with the help of its CEO, Pascale Lepoivre. The chief executive has occupied the role since 2016, but has been part of the LVMH Group for more than 30 years. She joined Loewe three years into Jonathan Anderson’s reign. The Northern Irish designer was appointed creative director of the Spanish house in September 2013, during which he built a rich and eclectic brand rooted in artisanal heritage.

In March 2025, once the news broke of Anderson’s eventual exit, a cascade of recruits followed. Enter Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez, founders and co-creative directors of Proenza Schouler. The talents overtook the house in April 2025, making the move from an indie label infused with New York spirit, to an LVMH-owned universe punctuated by icon pieces and craft. Also new, global communications director Thierry Conrad Reutenauer hailed from Bottega Veneta to join the refreshed Loewe line-up in October 2025, while Oden Wilson was named head of design and pre-collection consultant for womenswear in July.

When John Galliano exited Maison Margiela, the OTB-owned fashion house, after a decade at the helm, one contender emerged to replace him: Glenn Martens. The 42-year-old creative director of stablemate Diesel began his dual role in January 2025, leveling up his status as a designer thereafter. Since making his name as the founder and creative behind Y/Project, which he departed in 2024, it became increasingly clear where Martens was headed next.

As for its executives, OTB chief Renzo Rosso announced Gaetano Sciuto as Margiela CEO in 2023, while passing on the chair role to his son, Stefano Rosso. The two have held tight since, with no notable movement following Martens’s inauguration at Paris Couture Week in July 2025.

In February 2025, just a month after the passing of Rosita Missoni, Alberto Caliri made his creative debut at the house the former founded with her husband, Tai, over 70 years prior. The collection was loud in its subtleties drawing on how the late founders dressed — voluminous cardigans and inflated scarves, layered on shirts and tops. This wasn’t Caliri’s first time around the block. The designer held the creative director role on an interim basis after the founders’ daughter stepped down in 2021 amid a management shake-up. The stint lasted a year before Filippo Grazioli took the reins.

After two years of Grazioli’s dedication to the iconic zigzag, Missoni CEO Livio Proli, who came on board mid-pandemic, announced the designer’s long-mooted departure. That same day, it was shared that Caliri would inject his mastery into Missoni’s codes once again. No structural changes have been noted since Caliri’s appointment. As of now, Missoni remains unique in its independence, with the family owning a 58.8% controlling stake.

Mugler, known for its dramatic silhouettes and strong founder heritage, is L’Oréal Group’s only fashion entity. The fashion and fragrance licences were acquired by the beauty conglomerate from Clarins Group in 2020. After two years of operating with Clarins-era CEO Sandrine Groslier, Mugler’s former deputy marketing director Danièle Lahana-Aidenbaum was named global president in October 2022.

Casey Cadwallader led design across all verticals from late 2017 until March 2025, when Miguel Castro Freitas was announced as the brand’s next creative force. Shortly before, Nicky Elder was tapped as global communications director in December 2024 to oversee fashion comms. Despite his somewhat quiet reputation, Castro Freitas’s CV boasts big design roles, including head of tailoring at Raf Simons’s Dior and creative director of Sportmax.

A label started out of a New York bedroom, while its founders studied at Parsons School of Design, Proenza Schouler cultivated a cool-girl crew with its chic, always-forward designs. So when founders Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez announced they were leaving the brand to head to Paris in January 2025 (Loewe called), a search commenced for a successor to fill the void. CEO Shira Suveyke Snyder, who joined the company in October 2024, announced the appointment of Diotima’s Rachel Scott seven months later.

Scott founded Diotima — which she will continue to oversee — in 2021, while working as VP of design at Rachel Comey in New York. Since leaving Rachel Comey to focus on Diotima full-time, Scott has won two consecutive CFDA Fashion Awards: Emerging Designer of the Year (2023) and Womenswear Designer of the Year (2024). Proenza Schouler’s SS26 collection — presented just a week following the announcement — was developed by Scott in partnership with the design studio. Her official debut will follow in February, for FW26.

Tom Ford has been in a state of transition since its eponymous founder stepped down in April 2023. The exit followed a sale to Estée Lauder Companies for £2.25 billion in November 2022, under which the beauty conglomerate would lead the Tom Ford beauty business, while the fashion license was adopted by Zegna Group and the eyewear by Marcolin Group.

In September 2023, Lelio Gavazza joined as CEO of Tom Ford Fashion from LVMH-owned Bvlgari. Creative director Peter Hawkings departed the following July, only to be replaced by Haider Ackermann two months later. Hand-picked by Ford, Ackermann’s expressive romanticism made way for a seductive debut. Hires following the designer’s arrival include Americas director of men’s wholesale, Guillermo Chiabo (previously Loro Piana), and EMEA buying director Guglielmo Pardo (previously Bally), both in May 2025. Most recently, Rafael Conde was made Americas CFO in November, hailing from Christian Dior Couture.

This article has been updated to reflect Bottega Veneta CEO Bartolomeo Rongone’s exit (1/20/26).