While trying to define the state of the fashion industry over the past few months, one phrase comes to mind: All shook up. It seems that no one can stand still recently—designers keep jumping around from job to job like frogs on lily pads. Just when you start really sinking into Matthieu Blazy’s Bottega Veneta or Peter Do’s Helmut Lang, the rug gets pulled out from under you with the announcement that they’re leaving. To be fair, that’s often the reality in fashion, but the shake-ups of 2024 are almost unprecedented. Now, as a result, we can expect a number of debuts in the first part of 2025, making the upcoming season one of the most anticipated in quite some time. While that’s exciting, it can also be overwhelming to attempt to keep up with the ever-changing roster of creative directors. So, we’ve broken down all the big moves from the past few months, to be updated frequently, as has proven necessary.
Virginie Viard Out at Chanel; Matthieu Blazy In
The biggest shake-up of the year was undoubtedly at Chanel, where Virginie Viard stepped down from her role as creative director in June after a three-decade career at the brand. The move left an opening in what is arguably the biggest position in fashion, and rumors over who would take instantly became the fashion world’s favorite form of small talk. In December, though, all of our queries were answered when it was announced that Matthieu Blazy, formerly of Bottega Veneta, would be stepping in as the head of Chanel. In his new role, Blazy will oversee all of fashion, couture, and accessories for the house, including ten collections each year. He will officially join the team in April and make his runway debut in October 2025 as part of the spring/summer 2026 presentations during Paris Fashion Week.
Matthieu Blazy Out at Bottega Veneta; Louise Trotter In
Of course, Blazy new role at Chanel means he had to step down from his position at Bottega Veneta, where he has been since 2021. He will be replaced by Louise Trotter, previously of Carven, the brand she helped to revive after it filed for bankruptcy in 2018 and was bought by Chinese retailer Icicle. Trotter will join the Bottega team at the end of January 2025, and will likely put on her debut show for the brand later in the year. Her new role makes her the only female creative director on Kering’s slate at the moment.
Pierpaolo Piccioli Out at Valentino; Alessandro Michele In
Alessandro Michele has already made his mark as the new creative director of Valentino, releasing two collections that prove his vintage-inspired maximalism works extremely well in the context of the Italian brand. It’s easy to forget though, that when we started 2024, Pierpaolo Piccioli was still in the house’s main role. He left Valentino in March after working there for 25 years, but as of now, we still don’t know where he will go next (though rumors have placed him in some of the empty positions further down on this list). As for Michele, he was announced as Piccioli’s replacement just days later. He had left Gucci in November 2022. He made a surprise debut with Valentino with a resort 2025 lookbook and staged his first runway show for the brand in September as part of the spring 2025 season. Already, the red carpets are filling up with Michele’s Valentino designs, and 2025 is looking like it’s going to be a big year for the new brand/creative director combo.
John Galliano Out at Maison Margiela
Months after putting on arguably the best runway show of 2024 in the form of Maison Margiela’s Artisanal collection, John Galliano announced his departure from the brand. Galliano was at Margiela for ten years, becoming the creative director just three years after his infamous drunken outburst that turned him into the pariah of the industry. Renzo Rosso, president of Margiela’s parent company OTB Group, took a chance on Galliano, and over the past decade, the designer has injected new life into the French House. In a note that accompanied the announcement of his departure, Galliano acknowledged the public’s curiosity surrounding his next move, but didn’t give away anything just yet. “Everyone wants to know, and everyone wants to dream,” he wrote. “When the time is right, all will be revealed.”
Kim Jones Out at Fendi
In October 2024, Fendi announced that Kim Jones would be stepping down from his position as creative director of the brand after four years with LVMH, Fendi’s parent company, confirming that the 51-year-old designer will remain in his position as the artistic director of Dior Homme. The news came just ahead of Fendi’s 100th anniversary, a major milestone for which the brand is likely planning some big events. As of now, though, it has not announced a replacement for Jones, and thus Fendi might be celebrating its centennial without a leader.
Hedi Slimane Out at Celine; Michael Rider In
Hedi Slimane was one of the biggest contenders for the Chanel job, considering Karl Lagerfeld once gave the designer his seal of approval. So, when it was revealed that the French designer would be leaving Celine in October 2024 after six years, many thought it was to free him up for Chanel. Of course, now we know that is not the case and, as of now, Slimane’s next move remains a mystery. As for Celine, the brand replaced Slimane with Michael Rider. He had previously worked at the brand under Phoebe Philo before heading to the States for a term as creative director of Polo Ralph Lauren.
Sarah Burton in at Givenchy
It was an emotional moment when Sarah Burton staged her last show for Alexander McQueen in September 2023, a final goodbye for the woman who started at the brand as an intern in 1996. Luckily, though, we will get to see Burton’s mastery in action yet again very soon in her new post at Givenchy, which was without a creative director after Matthew Williams left a year prior. Burton’s next move was revealed to the world in September, and we will get to see the results of her work at the French House at Paris Fashion Week in March 2025.
Peter Hawkings Out at Tom Ford; Haider Ackermann In
One of the brands that has experienced the most shake-ups lately is undoubtedly Tom Ford. The eponymous designer left his namesake label in April 2023, and just days later, Peter Hawkings, the former Senior Vice President of Tom Ford menswear, stepped in. Hawkings lasted just one year, however, and in September, Haider Ackermann was revealed to be the replacement’s replacement. The fashion industry is extremely excited to see Ackermann with a brand again, as he kept a fairly low profile since shuttering his own label in 2020. Like Burton and Givenchy, Ackermann will make his debut for Tom Ford at Paris Fashion Week in March 2025.
Dries Van Noten Out at Dries Van Noten; Julian Klausner In
One of the more emotional departures of the year came from Dries Van Noten, who retired from designing after his final show for his eponymous label in June 2024. Many were nervous about what would come next for the beloved brand, scared that a big name might come in and dilute Van Noten’s message. In December, however, there was a momentary sigh of relief when Julian Klausner was announced as Dries’ new creative director. Klausner has been at Dries for six years, working as a womenswear designer for the brand. In his new role, he will also take on menswear. In fact, he will make his debut in January with his first menswear collection to be unveiled via lookbook during the men’s shows in January. He will then make his runway debut with a womenswear collection during Paris Fashion Week alongside Burton and Ackermann. Klausner has Van Noten’s seal of approval, which will likely help in winning over Dries’s die-hard fans. “He is not only a talented designer, but also a clear choice to take over after my departure,” Van Noten said in a statement. “His deep understanding of the brand and its values will ensure a seamless transition and a bright future.”
Peter Copping in at Lanvin
Lanvin was without a creative director for over a year after Bruno Sialelli stepped down from the position in April 2023. The brand’s top spot was finally filled, however, in June 2024, when Peter Copping, most recently of Balenciaga couture, took the job. Copping, who will oversee Lanvin’s men’s and women’s collections, officially joined the team in September and will make his debut in January with a co-ed show, the house’s first runway presentation since its autumn/winter 2023 collection in March 2023.
Veronica Leoni in At Calvin Klein
Calvin Klein, too, will return to the runway in 2025 with the help of its new creative director, Veronica Leoni. It has been five years since Calvin Klein staged a runway show, and six since it had a public-facing lead designer (Raf Simons was in the role until his departure in December 2018). In her new position, Leoni will design the Collection, which includes both men’s and women’s apparel, along with underwear and accessories.
Peter Do Out At Helmut Lang
After less than two years as creative director of the New York-based brand, Peter Do left Helmut Lang behind in November 2024. Do joined Lang in May 2023 and presented his debut collection at New York Fashion Week that September as part of the spring 2024 season. Do harkened back to many house codes in his first show, which received mixed reviews from critics. His later attempts proved more successful, with his resort 2025 collection gaining the most praise of his four offerings for the brand. Do still remains the creative director of his own label, and as of now, the future of Helmut Lang is up in the air.
Philip Lim Out at 3.1 Philip Lim
Dries Van Noten wasn’t the only designer who left his eponymous brand in 2024. Philip Lim also stepped away from 3.1 Philip Lim, 20 years after he started it with Wen Zhou, who is staying on as 3.1’s CEO. That means the brand’s spring 2025 presentation during New York Fashion Week in September 2024 was not only its 20th anniversary celebration, but also Lim’s swan song. As of now, we don’t know who will take over in Lim’s place or what the designer plans to do next.
Glenn Martens Out at Y/Project
In September 2024, Glenn Martens exited Y/Project after 11 years as creative director, causing the brand to cancel its spring 2025 show set just days later. Martens was involved in Y/Project since it was launched by Gilles Elalouf and Yohan Serfaty in 2010. He began his tenure at the brand as Serfaty’s first assistant, but took over as creative director following Serfaty’s untimely death in 2013. Martens will remain the creative director of Diesel, though many think that open spot at Margiela could be calling the designer’s name.
David Koma in At Blumarine
Another debut set for 2025 is David Koma at Blumarine after the designer was named creative director of the Italian brand in July 2024. Koma succeeded Walter Chiapponi, who exited Blumarine in November 2023 after less than a year with the brand and only one collection to show for it. Koma will debut his vision for Bluemarine with a pre-fall 2025 collection to be released in the spring.