Fashion has always had designer changes, but nothing like the last three years. Between 2024 and 2026, almost every major luxury house appointed a new creative director. Chanel, Dior, Gucci, Balenciaga, Loewe, Celine, Givenchy, Valentino, Fendi and Versace all changed hands, several designers moved directly from one house to another, and some appointments lasted only a season or two. By autumn 2026, a second wave of exits was under way.
This guide is designed as a reference. It lists who now designs for each major house, sets out every significant move in order, and explains the business pressures that drove the reshuffle, the patterns it has revealed, and the early results.
Who designs where: the major houses
The tables below show the position as of November 2026, grouped by owner.
LVMH
| House | Creative director now | Replaced | Announced |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dior (women’s, men’s, couture) | Jonathan Anderson | Maria Grazia Chiuri (women’s), Kim Jones (men’s) | April 2025 (men’s), June 2025 (all lines) |
| Loewe | Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez | Jonathan Anderson | March 2025 |
| Celine | Michael Rider | Hedi Slimane | October 2024 |
| Givenchy | Sarah Burton | Matthew M. Williams | September 2024 |
| Fendi | Maria Grazia Chiuri (chief creative officer) | Silvia Venturini Fendi; Kim Jones (womenswear until 2024) | October 2025 |
Kering
| House | Creative director now | Replaced | Announced |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gucci | Demna (artistic director) | Sabato De Sarno | March 2025 |
| Bottega Veneta | Louise Trotter | Matthieu Blazy | December 2024 / January 2025 |
| Balenciaga | Martine Rose (from November 16, 2026) | Pierpaolo Piccioli, who succeeded Demna in 2025 | November 2026 |
| Saint Laurent | Vacant | Anthony Vaccarello | Exit October 2026 |
| Alexander McQueen | Vacant | Seán McGirr | Exit October 2026 |
Independent and other houses
| House | Creative director now | Replaced | Announced |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chanel | Matthieu Blazy | Virginie Viard | December 2024 |
| Valentino | Alessandro Michele | Pierpaolo Piccioli | March 2024 |
| Hermès (menswear) | Grace Wales Bonner | Véronique Nichanian | October 2025 |
| Versace (Prada Group) | Pieter Mulier | Dario Vitale, who succeeded Donatella Versace | February 2026 |
| Maison Margiela | Glenn Martens | John Galliano | January 2025 |
| Jean Paul Gaultier | Duran Lantink | Rotating guest designers | April 2025 |
| Mugler | Miguel Castro Freitas | Casey Cadwallader | April 2025 |
| Jil Sander | Simone Bellotti | Luke and Lucie Meier | March 2025 |
| Marni | Meryll Rogge | Francesco Risso | July 2025 |
| Balmain | Antonin Tron | Olivier Rousteing | November 2025 |
| Rabanne | Olivier Rousteing | Julien Dossena | July 2026 |
| Tom Ford | Haider Ackermann | Peter Hawkings | September 2024 |
| Lanvin | Peter Copping | Vacant since 2023 | June 2024 |
| Dries Van Noten | Julian Klausner | Dries Van Noten | December 2024 |
| Proenza Schouler | Rachel Scott | Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez | September 2025 |
| Emporio Armani | Dario Vitale | In-house team | September 2026 |
| Mulberry | Christopher Kane | Johnny Coca | March 2026 |
| Moschino | Loris Messina and Simone Rizzo | Adrian Appiolaza | June 2026 |
| Courrèges | Drew Henry | Nicolas Di Felice | March 2026 |
| Carven | Kai Nesselrath | Mark Howard Thomas, who succeeded Louise Trotter | June 2026 |
Open seats (November 2026)
Saint Laurent, Alexander McQueen, Calvin Klein Collection (after Veronica Leoni’s exit in October 2026), Alaïa (after Pieter Mulier left for Versace), Diesel (Glenn Martens is leaving to focus on Margiela), Etro (after Marco De Vincenzo’s exit) and Nina Ricci (after Harris Reed stepped down) had not announced successors as of early November 2026, according to Daily Front Row.
The timeline
2024: the first moves
- March: Valentino names Alessandro Michele, formerly of Gucci, to succeed Pierpaolo Piccioli.
- June: Chanel announces Virginie Viard’s departure. Lanvin names Peter Copping. Dries Van Noten announces he will step back from his label.
- September: Givenchy names Sarah Burton, formerly of Alexander McQueen. Tom Ford names Haider Ackermann.
- October: Celine names Michael Rider to succeed Hedi Slimane. Kim Jones leaves Fendi.
- December: Chanel names Matthieu Blazy. Bottega Veneta announces Blazy’s exit and names Louise Trotter. Dries Van Noten names Julian Klausner. John Galliano leaves Maison Margiela.
2025: the peak
- January: Maison Margiela names Glenn Martens. Kim Jones steps down from Dior Men. Proenza Schouler’s founders announce they are leaving after 23 years.
- February: Sabato De Sarno leaves Gucci. Luke and Lucie Meier leave Jil Sander.
- March: Kering names Demna artistic director of Gucci. Loewe names McCollough and Hernandez to succeed Jonathan Anderson. Versace names Dario Vitale, with Donatella Versace becoming chief brand ambassador. Jil Sander names Simone Bellotti. Carven names Mark Howard Thomas.
- April: Dior names Jonathan Anderson for menswear. Jean Paul Gaultier names Duran Lantink as permanent creative director. Mugler names Miguel Castro Freitas.
- May: Balenciaga names Pierpaolo Piccioli. Maria Grazia Chiuri leaves Dior’s women’s line.
- June: Dior names Anderson for women’s, men’s and couture. Francesco Risso leaves Marni.
- July: Marni names Meryll Rogge.
- September: Proenza Schouler names Rachel Scott. Silvia Venturini Fendi becomes Fendi’s honorary president.
- October: Fendi names Maria Grazia Chiuri chief creative officer. Hermès names Grace Wales Bonner to succeed Véronique Nichanian in menswear.
- November: Olivier Rousteing leaves Balmain after 14 years; Antonin Tron is named his successor.
- December: Prada Group completes its purchase of Versace, and Dario Vitale leaves after a single season.
2026: the second wave
- January: Pieter Mulier announces his exit from Alaïa. Véronique Nichanian shows her final Hermès menswear collection.
- February: Versace names Pieter Mulier, starting July 1. Bally names Mario Grauso creative director and CEO.
- March: Mulberry names Christopher Kane. Courrèges names Drew Henry. Etro and Marco De Vincenzo part ways. Harris Reed leaves Nina Ricci.
- June: Moschino names Loris Messina and Simone Rizzo. Carven names Kai Nesselrath. Julien Dossena leaves Rabanne.
- July: Rabanne names Olivier Rousteing.
- September: Emporio Armani names Dario Vitale. Glenn Martens shows his final Diesel collection.
- October: Anthony Vaccarello leaves Saint Laurent after ten years. Seán McGirr leaves McQueen. Veronica Leoni leaves Calvin Klein.
- November: Pierpaolo Piccioli leaves Balenciaga after 16 months; Martine Rose is named his successor.
Sources for the timeline include TheIndustry.fashion, Luxury London, Fashionista and Daily Front Row.
Why it happened
1. The end of price-led growth
The reshuffle cannot be separated from luxury’s slowdown. Between 2019 and 2023, about 80% of the industry’s growth came from raising prices rather than selling more, according to McKinsey. When shoppers began to push back, and the number of luxury customers worldwide fell from about 400 million in 2022 to about 340 million in 2025, according to Bain & Company, brands needed a new way to generate demand. Read our report on why luxury got so expensive.
McKinsey’s State of Fashion 2026 report said luxury brands were shifting away from price-driven growth towards creativity and craftsmanship to rebuild trust with clients, and noted that several of the largest houses had appointed new creative directors in the year to September 2025. A new designer is one of the most visible ways a brand can signal change and give customers a reason to return.
2. Sales pressure at specific houses
Some changes followed sharp sales declines. Gucci’s sales fell about 22% in 2025, according to Reuters, and the brand had been struggling since Alessandro Michele’s exit in 2022. Saint Laurent’s revenue fell 9% in 2024 and 6% in 2025. Chanel’s revenue fell 4.3% in 2024 before Matthieu Blazy’s appointment. China’s luxury slowdown hit many houses at the same time. Read our report on China’s luxury slowdown.
3. New leadership at the top
Changes in ownership and management triggered further moves. At Kering, new chief executive Luca de Meo, who took office in September 2025, oversaw the second wave of departures, and Martine Rose was his first creative director appointment. At Versace, Prada Group’s purchase in December 2025 was followed by Dario Vitale’s exit after one season and the appointment of Pieter Mulier. Read our explainer on Kering’s reset.
4. Founders and long-serving designers stepping back
Several changes reflected generational transitions. Dries Van Noten stepped back from his own label, Donatella Versace moved to an ambassador role, Silvia Venturini Fendi became Fendi’s honorary president, Proenza Schouler’s founders left their company after 23 years, and Véronique Nichanian ended a long tenure leading Hermès menswear.
5. A crowded, fast-moving market
Nylon argued in November 2026 that the volume of collections and collaborations makes it harder for any designer’s work to stand out, and that large groups can now tell quickly when a designer’s work is not connecting with customers or critics. Social media gives brands and investors almost immediate feedback on a debut.
The patterns
Musical chairs
Many of the new appointments were designers moving directly from one major house to another, creating chains of vacancies:
- Matthieu Blazy moved from Bottega Veneta to Chanel. Louise Trotter moved from Carven to Bottega Veneta. Carven then appointed Mark Howard Thomas, and later Kai Nesselrath.
- Jonathan Anderson moved from Loewe to Dior. Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez left their own label, Proenza Schouler, to take over Loewe. Proenza Schouler then appointed Rachel Scott.
- Demna moved from Balenciaga to Gucci. Pierpaolo Piccioli, formerly of Valentino, took over Balenciaga, and was then succeeded by Martine Rose.
- Maria Grazia Chiuri left Dior and returned to Fendi, where she had worked earlier in her career.
- Olivier Rousteing left Balmain and moved to Rabanne. Pieter Mulier left Alaïa for Versace. Dario Vitale left Versace for Emporio Armani.
Shorter tenures
Some appointments ended quickly. Dario Vitale’s Versace tenure lasted a single season. Pierpaolo Piccioli left Balenciaga after about 16 months and four collections. Seán McGirr left McQueen after three years. These contrast with designers such as Anthony Vaccarello, who spent a decade at Saint Laurent, and Olivier Rousteing, who led Balmain for 14 years.
One designer, more control
Some houses consolidated creative control in one person. Jonathan Anderson leads Dior’s women’s, men’s and couture lines, and Maria Grazia Chiuri’s title at Fendi is chief creative officer. At Bally, Mario Grauso holds both the creative director and chief executive roles.
More women and new voices
The reshuffle also brought new names to the top of major houses. Martine Rose is the first woman to lead Balenciaga creatively, and Grace Wales Bonner took over menswear at Hermès. Louise Trotter, Sarah Burton, Rachel Scott and Meryll Rogge also took over established houses. According to The Business of Fashion, Martine Rose is only the second Black woman to lead a major European fashion house, after Wales Bonner.
The early results
It is too early to judge most of the new appointments, but some early signals have emerged.
- Chanel: after Matthieu Blazy’s acclaimed debut, Chanel returned to growth in 2025, with revenue up 2% to $19.3 billion, and new customers were drawn to his first collections when they reached stores. Read our report on Chanel under Blazy.
- Chloé: under Chemena Kamali, who was appointed in late 2023, the relaunched Paddington bag was Lyst’s hottest bag of 2025, according to La Conceria.
- Gucci: Demna’s appointment made Gucci one of Lyst’s top brands of 2025 by search interest, although Gucci’s revenue was still down 6% on a comparable basis in the third quarter of 2026, according to Kering.
- Hermès: Grace Wales Bonner’s appointment drove searches for her own label up 165%, according to Lyst. Her first Hermès menswear collection is due in January 2027.
McKinsey expects luxury to improve modestly in 2026, helped in part by creative leadership changes. Bain has been more cautious, warning in November 2025 that brands were mistaken to think new creativity at current prices would be enough on its own to win back customers, according to Reuters.
What comes next
The immediate focus is on the open seats. Saint Laurent has said it will announce new creative leadership soon. Industry speculation reported by Reuters and Nylon has focused on Chloé’s Chemena Kamali, a former Saint Laurent womenswear design director, although neither Chloé nor its owner Richemont has commented. McQueen, Calvin Klein, Alaïa, Diesel, Etro and Nina Ricci are also expected to announce appointments.
The bigger test will come in stores. Many of the designers appointed in 2025 have now shown several collections, and their work is reaching customers. In 2027, sales figures will begin to show which appointments have worked, and which houses may be heading for a third round of change.
Summary
- Between 2024 and 2026, nearly every major luxury house changed its creative director.
- The reshuffle peaked in 2025, with Dior, Gucci, Loewe, Balenciaga, Versace and Fendi all changing designers, and a second wave of exits followed in 2026.
- The main drivers were luxury’s slowdown, the end of price-led growth, sales declines at specific houses, new owners and executives, and generational transitions.
- Designers moved directly between houses, some tenures were very short, and more women took charge of major houses.
- Early results are mixed: Chanel has returned to growth, while Gucci’s sales are still falling.
Sources: TheIndustry.fashion; Luxury London; Fashionista; Daily Front Row; Nylon; FashionUnited, Fendi; Fashionista, Versace; La Conceria (Lyst); McKinsey & BoF, The State of Fashion 2026; Reuters on Bain; Kering Q3 2026 results.
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