As consumers demand more innovation than ever in a noisy and cluttered fashion market, change seems to be the only constant. Staff moves are so frequent that it is difficult to keep tabs on which designer is at which fashion house.
The main figures of fascination are the creative directors, the men and women tasked with producing clothes that will grab the public's attention and generate profits. It is a high-pressure role, answerable to investors, shareholders and executives as well as the evolving needs and wants of fashion-forward customers. Employing the right person can send a brand into the stratosphere. Employing the wrong one can spin a house into the doldrums.
Creative directors need clear vision, confidence and a thick skin to withstand the bumps and thumps of the industry. But with so much riding on their shoulders, moving from one house to another is becoming increasingly common. With houses and designers continually searching for the best possible fit, 2024 has been a veritable merry-go-round. Here is the latest turn.
Hedi Slimane exits Celine
After weeks of swirling rumours, it has now been made official – Hedi Slimane is departing as creative director at Celine to be replaced by Michael Rider.
In place since January 2018 under Slimane's guidance, Celine has enjoyed huge growth, doubling its annual turnover to $2.5 billion. Focusing on its heritage as a leather house that spoke of effortless Parisian style, he has rebuilt the house according to his own exacting vision, just as he did at previous roles at Dior Homme, Saint Laurent – where he caused uproar by ditching the founders first name Yves from the brand – and then Celine, where one of his first moves was to anglicise the spelling of the original accent-bearing French name.
Amid continuing discussions with Celine and its parent company LVMH regarding the terms of his contract renewal, rumours of his departure began to surface as the talks stretched on.
When Virginie Viard walked away from Chanel earlier this year, Slimane's name was one of the first mentioned as a possible successor. This seemed to be shot down at his recent – and we now know, last – runway show for Celine, where Slimane dressed models in tweed, Chanel's signature cloth, in a manner that felt like the fashion equivalent of a hip-hop diss track.
Slimane is famously controlling, choosing to oversee every aspect of the company he heads, from hand-picking each shade of lipstick to redesigning every store interior.
So what happens next? Not every company is happy to hand the reins to one all-powerful person. Chanel is a vast company, divided into separate divisions, so it is unclear how one person could handle such a vast remit even if allowed too.
Sarah Burton at Givenchy
This British designer is best known for being Alexander Lee McQueen's right hand and for then being handed the house following his death in 2010.
During her years at McQueen, Burton merged her softer, more romantic take with Lee's often controversial imaging, steering the house into traditional heritage skills such as embroidery and weaving. She famously created Princess Catherine's wedding dress in 2011 when she married Prince William.
In 2023, Burton announced her intention to leave McQueen. Her final show for the house in September last year was a love letter to both the house and her former boss. Burton has now been appointed as the new creative chief of Givenchy – inadvertently following in McQueen's footsteps once again, who led the house from 1996 to 2001.
Alessandro Michele at Valentino
Alessandro Michele burst on to the scene in 2015 when he sent male models down the runway at Gucci dressed in feminine pussy-bow blouses. In the seven years that followed, Michele propelled the Italian house to unprecedented growth and sparked a frenzy of maximalist dressing. The pandemic put paid to this frivolity, however. And when he was instructed by Gucci bosses to deliver more classic collections, Michele chose to leave, departing in November 2022.
After a period in the wilderness, he was heralded earlier this year as the new creative director at Valentino, replacing long-term designer Pierpaolo Piccioli. Michele has already delivered two bumper collections for the storied house and a new chapter awaits.
Haider Ackermann at Tom Ford
The Colombian-born French designer spoke of his “tremendous pride” after being named as the new creative boss at Tom Ford on September 5. “I will seek to honour the legacy of Tom Ford, a man I have long admired and have the utmost respect for,” he said.
Able to mix sensuality with crisp precision, Ackermann is the man who caused a stir in 2022 when he put actor Timothee Chalamet in a red halter neck outfit at the 2022 Venice Film Festival. He also fills the gap left by the unexpected departure in July of the previous designer, Peter Hawkins. Hawkins had been hand-picked by Ford after the label's founder himself retired in November 2022.
Clare Waight Keller at Uniqlo
The British stylist was creative director for Givenchy from 2017 to 2020. During her tenure, she forged a close friendship with Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex, and created the dress for her wedding to Prince Harry.
In 2020, citing burnout, Waight Keller quit Givenchy and disappeared from view. She popped up again in September 2023 with the launch of Uniqlo: C, a capsule collection for the Japanese high street brand. Well greeted by customers, Waight Keller has now been formally appointed as Uniqlo's creative director.
