With Fall 2018 fashion week imminent, men’s collections underway and Couture Week completed, design houses have announced major changes and shake-ups. Read on for the lowdown!
Hedi Slimane to Céline
Since Phoebe Philo‘s departure from Céline in December, there has been much speculation over the brand’s future. Fans, fret no more: last week, luxury conglomerate LVMH announced that former Saint Laurent designer Hedi Slimane will take over. Slimane will expand the brand, known for its sleek minimalism, to menswear, fragrance and couture. His arrival at Céline has been greeted with mixed reactions not dissimilar to the criticism he faced after making major changes at Saint Laurent (such as dropping the “Yves” in the brand’s name and moving runway shows from Paris to Los Angeles). However, Slimane’s success at Saint Laurent became apparent in its boosted revenue—in 2014, Kering reported that the brand’s annual sales shot to $707 million under his direction. Hopefully, Slimane’s work at Céline will generate the same buzz.
Kim Jones Leaves Louis Vuitton
After seven years as artistic director of menswear at Louis Vuitton, Kim Jones announced his departure from the house. During his time at Louis Vuitton, Jones was lauded for injecting streetwear sensibility into the brand’s heritage logo leatherware. Though Jones hasn’t announced his future plans, rumors regarding his next steps swirl—some speculate that he will replace Donatella Versace at Versace. His name has also been mentioned as a potential designer for Burberry.
Alexander Wang Bids Farewell to NYFW
Following the departures of Altuzarra, Rodarte and Proenza Schouler from New York Fashion Week, Alexander Wang announced that his brand will no longer show in February and September. Rather than moving to Paris like many designers, Wang will remain in New York and unveil his new collections in June and December during pre-collection season. In line with this change, the label will combine its main collections and pre-collections into one, breaking out of the conventional fashion calendar.