Fashion creative director appointments, exits and open seats
2023–2026 tracker of confirmed fashion house appointments, departures, successors, predecessors and first-collection context.
Updated: 14 July 2026
Appointment data last reviewed: 14 July 2026
Covers: 2023–2026
TheFashionDB separates confirmed appointments, departures, reported moves, vacancies and newly created roles. Speculative rumours are not listed as appointments until confirmed by a brand, company statement or reliable trade source.
Use it as a quick map of fashion’s ongoing creative reshuffle: confirmed appointments, exits, predecessors and previous roles, with links back to the brand and people pages where the longer history lives.
Appointments in 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
Julien Dossena led Rabanne from 2013 to 2026, reviving the house’s metallic futurism through sharp contemporary ready-to-wear, commercial discipline and a less museum-bound reading of Paco Rabanne’s archive.
June 24, 2026
Moschino appointed Sunnei founders Loris Messina and Simone Rizzo as creative directors in June 2026, following Adrian Appiolaza’s exit. Their arrival brings the duo’s showmanship and brand-system instinct into a house whose humour has recently become both asset and burden.
June 20, 2026
Moschino announced Adrian Appiolaza’s exit in June 2026 after roughly two and a half years at the creative helm. The departure was confirmed by the company in a statement from Aeffe executive chairman Massimo Ferretti, while Appiolaza thanked the group and the creative team for what he described as an intense experience. His exit arrived amid a broader restructuring phase at Aeffe, with a successor still unannounced at the time of reporting.
June 19, 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 Nesselrath as design director in June 2026, succeeding Mark Thomas after his April departure. Nesselrath joined from Saint Laurent, where he spent almost a decade and rose to head designer of womenswear, with earlier experience at Chanel. His first runway collection for the house is scheduled for Spring/Summer 2027 at Paris Fashion Week in October.
June 8, 2026
Henry Zankov was named artistic director of Diane von Furstenberg in May 2026, taking on a newly defined role responsible for the brand’s collections and visual identity. The appointment followed his 2025 DVF capsule and earlier work at the house during Jonathan Saunders’s creative-director tenure, turning a returning alumnus into the visible creative hinge of the brand’s in-house reset under CEO Graziano di Boni.
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
Jacques Marie Mage introduced its collaboration with Ackermann on 5 May 2026. The limited-edition project translated his interest in protection, exposure and tactile luxury into Japanese-made acetate, beta-titanium and leather-wrapped eyewear without establishing an Ackermann-owned eyewear line.
May 5, 2026
Carven said Mark Thomas will leave the house at the end of April 2026 to pursue other opportunities. Thomas joined Carven in 2023 and was promoted to design director in March 2025 following Louise Trotter’s exit. The house added that its next steps would be announced later in 2026, and that its next show is planned for SS27.
April 2, 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 has appointed Christopher Kane as creative director, with the Scottish designer set to relaunch the brand’s women’s ready-to-wear and debut in September 2026 during London Fashion Week.
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
Courrèges announced Nicolas Di Felice’s departure on 24 March 2026, twenty days after his final credited collection. No separately documented contractual last day was published.
March 24, 2026
Zara announced a two-year creative partnership with John Galliano to “re-author” Zara’s archive. The first collection is scheduled to arrive in September 2026.
March 17, 2026
Etro has no named creative director after Marco De Vincenzo’s mutually agreed exit, tied to a new strategic phase for the brand.
March 12, 2026
Nina Ricci has no named creative director after Harris Reed departed for his own label, Harris Reed.
March 11, 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
Bally has no named creative director after Simone Bellotti departed for Jil Sander.
February 21, 2026
Noah appointed Brendon Babenzien as creative director, returning to the brand from J.Crew.
February 17, 2026
J.Crew has no named creative director after Brendon Babenzien departed for his own label, Noah.
February 16, 2026
Alaïa announced on 30 January 2026 that Pieter Mulier would leave after Summer Fall 2026. His final show on 4 March concluded five years of creative direction and opened a new studio-led interval.
January 30, 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
Appointments in 2025
Versace announced on 4 December 2025 that Dario Vitale would leave by mutual decision, with his departure effective on 12 December.
December 4, 2025
7 For All Mankind appointed Nicola Brognano creative director, introducing a named designer-led programme focused on denim, ready-to-wear and a more visible seasonal image.
December 3, 2025
Hermès appointed Grace Wales Bonner Creative Director of Men’s Ready-to-Wear on 21 October 2025. Her first Hermès collection is scheduled for January 2027.
October 21, 2025
Bosideng appointed Kim Jones as creative director (premium line Areal). Joined from Dior. The role was newly created.
October 20, 2025
Hermès announced on 17 October 2025 that Véronique Nichanian would present her final men’s ready-to-wear collection in January 2026, closing a tenure begun in 1988.
October 17, 2025
Kim Bekker was publicly confirmed as Creative Director of Isabel Marant on 1 October 2025, formalising a succession developed over several seasons.
October 1, 2025
Christian Louboutin appointed Jaden Smith as creative director (Men's). The role was newly created.
September 17, 2025
Willy Vanderperre photographed the black-and-white campaign that introduced Boloria before its first collection. The images used concealed faces, tailored silhouettes and restrained layouts to give the new house an immediate institutional identity.
September 9, 2025
Boloria publicly announced Olivier Theyskens as creative director on 9 September 2025. His position formalised a founding creative partnership developed with WEAREONE.world, although public records do not confirm a legal co-founder title or equity stake.
September 9, 2025
Proenza Schouler appointed Rachel Scott creative director on 2 September 2025. She continued to lead Diotima while taking responsibility for the house’s next creative chapter.
September 2, 2025
Marni appointed Meryll Rogge as creative director. Joined from Meryll Rogge. Replaced Francesco Risso.
July 15, 2025
Marni appointed Meryll Rogge as creative director. Joined from Meryll Rogge. Replaced Francesco Risso.
July 15, 2025
Pangaia appointed Kevin Grandal as creative director. Joined from 1017 ALYX 9SM. The appointment followed internal restructuring.
July 1, 2025
OTB announces Francesco Risso is leaving Marni after a decade at the house.
June 18, 2025
Dior appointed Jonathan Anderson as creative director. Joined from Loewe. Replaced Maria Grazia Chiuri and Kim Jones.
June 2, 2025
Maria Grazia Chiuri stepped down from Dior womenswear and couture after closing her tenure with the Cruise 2026 show in Rome.
May 29, 2025
Balenciaga appointed Pierpaolo Piccioli as creative director. Joined from Valentino. Replaced Demna.
May 19, 2025
Dior appointed Jonathan Anderson artistic director of menswear ahead of his later promotion to the full house.
April 17, 2025
Jean Paul Gaultier appointed Duran Lantink permanent Creative Director on 15 April 2025 with responsibility for ready-to-wear and haute couture. The appointment ended the rotating guest-couture model and restored continuing named authorship across the house’s fashion programmes.
April 15, 2025
Loewe appointed Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez as joint creative directors on 24 March 2025, effective 7 April. The co-equal remit covers womenswear, menswear, leather goods, accessories and global brand image.
April 7, 2025
Mugler appointed Miguel Castro Freitas as creative director. Joined from Sportmax. Replaced Casey Cadwallader.
April 1, 2025
Dario Vitale served as Versace Chief Creative Officer from 1 April to 12 December 2025, becoming the first non-family appointee to the house-wide top creative role and presenting one collection.
April 1, 2025
Mugler confirms Casey Cadwallader’s departure (effective end of March 2025).
March 25, 2025
Loewe announced Jonathan Anderson’s departure on 17 March 2025 after the Fall/Winter 2025 presentation. His exit closed an eleven-year tenure before his move to unified artistic direction at Dior.
March 17, 2025
Kering announced in March 2025 that Demna would leave Balenciaga to become Gucci artistic director, ending a decade that had changed the house’s scale, product system and cultural position.
March 13, 2025
Versace announced on 13 March 2025 that Donatella Versace would leave the Chief Creative Officer role and become Chief Brand Ambassador effective 1 April.
March 13, 2025
Jil Sander appointed Simone Bellotti as creative director. Joined from Bally. Replaced Lucie and Luke Meier.
March 10, 2025
Carven appointed Mark Howard Thomas as director of design. The appointment followed internal restructuring. Replaced Louise Trotter.
March 9, 2025
Area appointed Nicholas Aburn as creative director. Joined from Balenciaga (couture studio). Replaced Piotrek Panszczyk.
February 7, 2025
Gucci ended its collaboration with Sabato De Sarno on 5 February 2025. The design office completed the Autumn/Winter 2025 and Cruise 2026 collections while the house prepared its next artistic direction.
February 5, 2025
FamilyMart appointed Nigo as creative director to shape next-generation stores, product strategy and branding.
February 5, 2025
Kim Jones exited Dior menswear after his seven-year tenure at the house.
January 31, 2025
Appointments in 2024
Bottega Veneta appointed Louise Trotter as creative director. Joined from Carven. Replaced Matthieu Blazy.
December 12, 2024
Chanel appointed Matthieu Blazy as artistic director. Joined from Bottega Veneta. Replaced Virginie Viard.
December 12, 2024
Maison Margiela announced the end of John Galliano’s ten-year tenure on 11 December 2024. His final runway collection had been the Spring/Summer 2024 Artisanal presentation beneath Pont Alexandre III, closing a period that made couture, film and live performance the house’s principal image-making laboratory.
December 11, 2024
Dries Van Noten appointed Julian Klausner as creative director. The appointment followed internal restructuring. Replaced Dries Van Noten.
December 9, 2024
Alberta Ferretti appointed Lorenzo Serafini as creative director. Joined from Philosophy di Lorenzo Serafini. Replaced Alberta Ferretti.
October 15, 2024
Missoni appointed Alberto Caliri as creative director. The appointment followed internal restructuring. Replaced Filippo Grazioli.
October 3, 2024
Celine announced Hedi Slimane’s departure on 2 October 2024, closing a tenure that had expanded the house into menswear, in-house fragrance, bespoke leather goods, beauty and a highly controlled retail-image system.
October 2, 2024
Celine named Michael Rider as Hedi Slimane’s successor, effective early 2025. Rider’s earlier decade in Phoebe Philo’s studio made the appointment a return to the house as well as a change in leadership.
October 2, 2024
Givenchy announced Sarah Burton as creative director on 9 September 2024, with responsibility for women’s and men’s collections. The appointment event supports the current tenure row but does not create a second people-card relationship.
September 9, 2024
Sarah Burton became creative director of Givenchy women’s and men’s collections on 9 September 2024. By 12 July 2026 she had presented three women’s runways and one public menswear collection; no official seasonal Givenchy couture collection under her direction had been confirmed.
September 9, 2024
Y/Project publicly announced Glenn Martens’s departure on 6 September 2024. The chronology does not prove that his exit caused the company’s insolvency or that insolvency caused the departure; no interim creative director or authorised studio successor was documented.
September 6, 2024
Uniqlo appointed Clare Waight Keller as creative director. The appointment followed internal restructuring.
September 4, 2024
Haider Ackermann became Tom Ford creative director on 4 September 2024, responsible for menswear, womenswear, accessories and the wider brand vision. Based in Paris, he shifted the house from literal founder-era continuity toward precise tailoring, saturated colour and restrained sensuality.
September 4, 2024
Blumarine appointed David Koma as creative director. Joined from David Koma. Replaced Walter Chiapponi.
July 31, 2024
Tom Ford announced Peter Hawkings’s immediate departure on 22 July 2024 after a brief succession tenure. The studio completed the Spring/Summer 2025 womenswear delivery while the company prepared a new external appointment.
July 22, 2024
Lanvin appointed Peter Copping as artistic director. Replaced Bruno Sialelli.
June 27, 2024
Virginie Viard departed Chanel on June 5, 2024, creating the year's most prestigious open creative-director vacancy.
June 5, 2024
Calvin Klein appointed Veronica Leoni as Creative Director of Collection on 30 May 2024. Her remit is the Collection line, not the Calvin Klein mainline as a whole.
May 30, 2024
Canada Goose appointed Ackermann as its first creative director on 15 May 2024. Based in Paris and working alongside chairman and CEO Dani Reiss, he introduced the recurring Snow Goose platform while the exact extent of his authority over the mainline remained publicly undefined.
May 15, 2024
Bulgari appointed Mary Katrantzou as creative director (leather and accessories). The role was newly created. Joined from Mary Katrantzou.
April 2, 2024
Valentino appointed Alessandro Michele as creative director. Joined from Gucci. Replaced Pierpaolo Piccioli.
March 28, 2024
Pierpaolo Piccioli departed Valentino on March 22, 2024, ending one of the decade's most distinctive luxury-house creative tenures.
March 22, 2024
Samuel Ross announced his departure after Tomorrow Ltd acquired full ownership of A-COLD-WALL* in February 2024.
February 20, 2024
1972 DESA appointed Ivana Omazic as creative director in 2024; the role remained documented through the label’s Autumn/Winter 2026–27 collection.
February 6, 2024
Gap Inc. appointed Zac Posen as creative director. Joined from Zac Posen. The role was newly created.
February 5, 2024
Marcolin announced on 30 January 2024 that its exclusive worldwide Zegna eyewear agreement had renewed through 31 December 2030, covering design, manufacture and distribution.
January 30, 2024
Moschino appointed Adrian Appiolaza as creative director. Joined from Loewe. Replaced David Renne.
January 30, 2024
A second Suna Fujita collection returned the Kyoto studio’s miniature animals and storybook scenes to Loewe product. The recurrence established the project as more than a one-season decorative licence.
2024
Pascal Conte-Jodra left Y/Project during summer 2024, less than a year after his appointment. No exact contractual end date was recovered; his appointment at Fusalp was announced on 9 September.
summer 2024
Pilati began a Zara project in January 2024 that expanded from menswear into women’s clothing and accessories. The Steven Meisel campaign and full collection were revealed in September before the global retail launch on 3 October.
January, 2024
Harley Hughes began a freelance directorial role covering men’s ready-to-wear and footwear at Givenchy in November 2024. The appointment extended his long collaboration with Sarah Burton from Alexander McQueen into Givenchy’s newly integrated men’s and women’s studio.
November, 2024
MM6 and Dr. Martens fused familiar boots, shoes and loafers into asymmetric hybrids in 2024. Two established models could occupy one object, exposing the join across sole, upper and fastening and turning product recognition into a visible act of splicing.
2024
Supreme and MM6 joined their product and distribution languages in 2024 through tailoring, faux fur, metallic painter trousers and altered graphics. The capsule placed collective studio authorship inside Supreme’s personality-driven drop system while keeping each product immediately recognisable.
2024
Florence Tétier announced her departure from Jean Paul Gaultier in September 2024 after directing the post-founder archive-led ready-to-wear and image programme.
September, 2024
Appointments in 2023
Rochas appointed Alessandro Vigilante as creative director. Joined from Gucci. Replaced Charles de Vilmorin.
December 4, 2023
Tod's appointed Matteo Tamburini as creative director. Joined from Bottega Veneta. Replaced Walter Chiapponi.
December 1, 2023
Givenchy announced Matthew M. Williams’s departure on 30 November 2023, effective at the end of the year. The employment endpoint is distinct from the timing of his final commercial deliveries.
November 30, 2023
Y/Project appointed Pascal Conte-Jodra operational chief executive on 22 November 2023 with a remit spanning growth, international distribution, sustainability and work with Glenn Martens. On the same date, IN-CARNATION converted from an SARL to an SAS without creating a new legal person, introduced president, directoire and supervisory-board structures, and appointed Gilles Elalouf company president; Conte-Jodra left during summer 2024.
November 22, 2023
Blumarine appointed Walter Chiapponi as creative director. Joined from Tod's. Replaced Nicola Brognano.
November 1, 2023
Pilati became the inaugural guest of Friends of Fendi, a finite project initiated by Kim Jones and Silvia Venturini Fendi. The Winter 2023–24 collection crossed men’s and women’s wardrobes and received its official commercial release on 26 October 2023.
October 26, 2023
Blumarine and Nicola Brognano ended their collaboration after four years.
October 19, 2023
Moschino appointed Davide Renne as creative director. Joined from Gucci. Replaced Jeremy Scott.
October 16, 2023
Chloé appointed Chemena Kamali as creative director. Joined from Saint Laurent. Replaced Gabriela Hearst.
October 9, 2023
Richemont announced that Chemena Kamali joined Chloé as creative director on 9 October 2023. Her current programme draws across the founder era, both Lagerfeld periods, late-1990s tailoring and early-2000s accessories without reducing the house to a single revival.
October 9, 2023
Alexander McQueen announced Seán McGirr as creative director on 3 October 2023, following Sarah Burton’s final collection. The announcement preceded his effective start in December.
October 3, 2023
Moschino staged a 40th-anniversary collection built by four different stylists while the creative director role remained vacant.
September 21, 2023
Lelio Gavazza became chief executive of TOM FORD FASHION in September 2023 with responsibility for collection development, merchandising, production, retail and wholesale. He leads the Zegna-operated fashion business and is one of Haider Ackermann’s two reporting principals, alongside TOM FORD President and CEO Guillaume Jesel.
September 18, 2023
Alexander McQueen announced the end of Sarah Burton’s tenure on 11 September 2023. Her departure concluded a twenty-six-year relationship with the house and preceded her final runway collection later that month.
September 11, 2023
Tremaine Emory resigned as Supreme creative director, publicly citing systemic racism and disputes over a shelved project.
August 30, 2023
Fiorucci appointed Francesca Murri as artistic director. The appointment followed internal restructuring.
August 2, 2023
Zegna signed a new fragrance licence with Give Back Beauty on 26 July 2023. The agreement established the operator behind the current fragrance phase and the later Memorie collection.
July 26, 2023
Chloé confirmed on 6 July 2023 that Gabriela Hearst would leave after presenting Spring/Summer 2024. The final show took place on 28 September, closing her creative-director tenure while the house retained the institutional systems developed during it.
July 6, 2023
Ann Demeulemeester appointed Stefano Gallici as creative director. The appointment followed internal restructuring. Replaced Ludovic de Saint Sernin.
June 1, 2023
Ann Demeulemeester appointed Stefano Gallici as creative director. The appointment followed internal restructuring. Replaced Ludovic de Saint Sernin.
June 1, 2023
Appointed as design director following Rhuigi Villaseñor’s exit. Joined from Gucci.
May 31, 2023
Ludovic de Saint Sernin left Ann Demeulemeester after one collection.
May 21, 2023
Bally and Rhuigi Villaseñor parted ways in May 2023.
May 16, 2023
Helmut Lang appointed Peter Do as artistic director. The appointment marked a renewed push to reactivate the house on the runway.
May 10, 2023
The Estée Lauder Companies appointed Guillaume Jesel president and chief executive of Tom Ford at the acquisition close. His mandate covers the overarching brand and coordination of its beauty, fashion and eyewear operators.
April 28, 2023
Peter Hawkings was appointed creative director at the acquisition close after seventeen years leading Tom Ford menswear. His remit covered womenswear, menswear, accessories and fashion shows until his departure on 22 July 2024.
April 28, 2023
Lanvin confirmed Bruno Sialelli's departure as part of a broader creative reorganisation.
April 14, 2023
Dunhill appointed Simon Holloway as creative director. Joined from James Purdey & Sons. Replaced Mark Weston.
April 12, 2023
Charles de Vilmorin’s contract at Rochas ended on 31 March 2023.
March 31, 2023
Jeremy Scott stepped down as Moschino creative director after a decade at the house.
March 20, 2023
Carven appointed Louise Trotter as creative director. The appointment followed internal restructuring. Joined from Lacoste.
February 22, 2023
Louis Vuitton appointed Pharrell Williams as creative director (Men's). Replaced Virgil Abloh.
February 14, 2023
Lacoste appointed Pelagia Kolotouros as creative director. Joined from Adidas. Replaced Louise Trotter.
February 6, 2023
Gucci appointed Sabato De Sarno creative director on 28 January 2023. His remit covered menswear, womenswear, leather goods, accessories and image; the Ancora debut followed in September, and the house ended the collaboration on 5 February 2025.
January 28, 2023
Loewe began a seasonal collaboration with the Kyoto ceramic studio Suna Fujita, placing its hand-drawn animals and miniature worlds across bags, clothing and accessories. The imagery retained the artists’ narrative scale within the house’s product system.
2023
The third and final Studio Ghibli capsule rendered Calcifer and the moving castle through leather, patchwork and textile construction. Inflatable castle installations in Paris and London and Calcifer’s Kitchen at Selfridges extended the launch into urban spectacle.
February, 2023
Drew Henry joined Burberry under Daniel Lee in 2023 as senior design director. The role preceded his effective May 2026 start as Courrèges Artistic Director.
2023
During June–July 2023, Zegna and Prada each agreed to acquire 15% of Luigi Fedeli e Figlio. The Fedeli family remained controlling, while the two luxury groups gained strategic supplier and board relationships without acquiring the knitwear company outright.
June–July, 2023
Ackermann designed limited-edition refillable chrome Nomad vessels for Augustinus Bader in 2023. His remit covered the physical packaging and object language of The Cream and The Rich Cream, not the skincare formulations.
September–October, 2023
Jean Paul Gaultier selected Ackermann as the fourth designer in its one-season haute couture guest programme. Working with the house ateliers, he completed a single Spring 2023 mandate centred on precise tailoring, controlled colour and reduced spectacle.
January, 2023
Contribute updates and corrections
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