Year in fashion, finally
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2026 • A chapter being written, one runway step at a time
2025 • Luxury’s great reshuffle turned inheritance into strategy
2024 • Pleasure returned, but vacancy quietly ran the year
2023 • Fashion tested who gets to speak for a house
2022 • War and recovery pulled the runway back into reality
2021 • The screen stayed on as fashion rehearsed its return
2020 • The calendar broke, and fashion improvised in public
updated People and brands
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Tapestry announced Jonathan Saunders as Executive Creative Director of Kate Spade New York on 21 July 2026, with his appointment effective 26 August. His remit spans product design and brand visual identity, placing one named creative leader across both areas.
August 26, 2026
Olivier Rousteing was appointed creative director of Rabanne in July 2026, succeeding Julien Dossena after his 13-year tenure. His arrival brings Balmain-scale image-making, celebrity fluency and a maximalist instinct to Puig’s metal-clad Paris house.
July 14, 2026
Pieter Mulier became Chief Creative Officer of Versace on 1 July 2026 under Prada Group. No Mulier-authored collection had been released by the 14 July research cutoff.
July 1, 2026
Aeffe appointed Loris Messina and Simone Rizzo joint creative directors of Moschino with immediate effect on 21 June 2026. Their first collection had not yet been presented at the research cutoff, and conflicting pre-show schedule language should not be used to assign authorship in advance.
June 21, 2026
Isaac Mizrahi was named Target’s first creative director at large in June 2026, returning to the retailer more than fifteen years after his influential Isaac Mizrahi for Target line ended. The newly created role positions him as an adviser across Target’s internal design operation, with a brief spanning mentorship, product innovation, storytelling, partnerships and the broader restoration of Target’s design authority.
June 15, 2026
Carven appointed Kai Raffael Nesselrath Design Director on 8 June 2026 after his progression through Chanel and the Saint Laurent womenswear studio. His first Carven runway was announced for Spring/Summer 2027 in Paris.
June 8, 2026
Henry Zankov was appointed artistic director of Diane von Furstenberg on 27 May 2026 in a newly defined role overseeing the house’s collections and visual identity. Nathan Jenden remains creative director inside the design organisation and reports to Zankov, while Zankov continues to lead his independent namesake label.
May 27, 2026
Givenchy appointed Marco De Vincenzo head of leather goods design on 26 May 2026, working under Sarah Burton. The specialist role strengthens the current accessories structure without making him an independent creative director of the house.
May 26, 2026
Canali has appointed former Prada and Brunello Cucinelli menswear designer Alessio Lillocci as creative director, with his first collection set to debut for Spring 2027.
May 8, 2026
A.P.C. has appointed Ludivine Poiblanc as artistic director, drawing from her career as a stylist and creative director for titles including The Wall Street Journal Magazine and from advisory work on product and visual identity. She takes over after Jean and Judith Touitou’s long founder-led creative structure; Judith Touitou had been A.P.C.’s artistic director for nearly 30 years, while Jean Touitou founded the Paris label in 1987.
May 6, 2026
Courrèges announced Drew Henry as Artistic Director on 30 March 2026, effective in May. The appointment is his first public house leadership; no credited Courrèges collection or product had appeared by 15 July 2026.
March 30, 2026
Mulberry appointed Christopher Kane Creative Director of Women’s Ready-to-Wear on 26 March 2026. The limited remit restores seasonal womenswear and runway authorship while leaving leather goods and the wider product and image system under the internal Creative Studio.
March 26, 2026
Oakley has appointed Matthew M. Williams as creative director of apparel, footwear and accessories, signalling broader ambitions across performance and lifestyle.
March 26, 2026
By January 2026, Silvana Armani had assumed the women’s design remit within Emporio Armani. She works with Leo Dell’Orco on the coeducational collection programme without a blanket group co-creative-director title.
February 26, 2026
Jay Wilson was appointed Creative Director of Jitrois on 25 February 2026.
February 25, 2026
Tristan Van Bruwaene was appointed Creative Director of Jitrois on 25 February 2026.
February 25, 2026
Zadig & Voltaire appointed Dan Sablon as creative director. Joined from Vogue France. Replaced Cecilia Bönström.
February 24, 2026
Noah appointed Brendon Babenzien as creative director, returning to the brand from J.Crew.
February 17, 2026
Andrea Rigogliosi was appointed Diesel chief executive officer on 14 January 2026, reporting directly to OTB CEO Ubaldo Minelli. The executive appointment did not alter Glenn Martens’s continuing creative mandate.
January 14, 2026
Edoardo Zegna became Co-CEO of the ZEGNA brand on 1 January 2026, overseeing brand strategy and expression across design, marketing, communications and media. Alessandro Sartori remained the product line’s Artistic Director.
January 1, 2026
Angelo Zegna became Co-CEO of the ZEGNA brand on 1 January 2026 with responsibility for retail, wholesale, product development and merchandising. The executive remit does not confer co-artistic-director authorship.
January 1, 2026
Gianluca A. Tagliabue assumed Group chief executive responsibilities on 1 January 2026 and was formally appointed executive director and Group CEO by shareholders on 26 June. Brand chief executives and artistic directors retain their distinct offices.
January 1, 2026
Gildo Zegna became Group Executive Chairman on 1 January 2026 after twenty years as sole Group CEO. The office concentrates strategic oversight and family stewardship without replacing the formal Dutch board chair or the creative directors of the Group’s brands.
January 1, 2026
Chanel announced Marie-Laure Cérède as director of the Jewellery Creation Studio, effective October 2026. The appointment succeeds Patrice Leguéreau and brings experience from Cartier and Harry Winston, but no Chanel collection is attributed to her at the July 2026 cutoff.
October, 2026
Bruno Sialelli was reported to have joined Balenciaga’s couture studio in 2026, though his formal title and start date were not disclosed. The move brings the former Lanvin creative director back into the orbit of a major Paris house at a charged moment for Balenciaga, with Pierpaolo Piccioli preparing his first couture collection for the maison.
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GU appointed Francesco Risso as creative director. Joined from Marni. The role was newly created.
2026
3.1 Phillip Lim appointed Michelle Rhee as creative director. Joined from JW Anderson. Replaced Phillip Lim.
2026
By January 2026, Leo Dell’Orco had assumed principal authorship of Giorgio Armani menswear after decades in the men’s style office. His remit is line-specific and sits alongside his chairmanship rather than constituting a blanket group creative-director title.
by January 2026
By January 2026, Silvana Armani had assumed principal authorship of Giorgio Armani womenswear and artistic direction of Privé. Her remit follows decades in the women’s studio and couture programme without making her chief executive or designer of every group line.
by January 2026
