This year has seen enormous shifts and ‘changing of the guard’ at some of fashion’s biggest houses; retirements, reappointments and new directions. Noted by many as fashion’s ‘musical chairs’, it appears it is as fleeting as ever to be at the helm of a big house. News broke this week that Peter Do is leaving Helmut Lang – an appointment he retained last year, and to which his offering received mixed reviews. As a designer with his own eponymous label, Peter Do is arguably one of the most talented and incisive designers in the world right now. This, it seems, is not always enough and the appointment of star designers to legacy brands is not always a winning formula. It is one thing to have mastery of your own point of view and it’s entirely another to channel that view through the codes, archives and memory of a deeply established fashion house. Do’s exit is just the latest in a year marked by sweeping transformations, with some of fashion’s most iconic names having announced their departures, each leaving a lasting mark on their respective houses.

Filippo Grazioli, who helped revitalise Missoni with his fresh interpretations of the brand’s famous knits and patterns, decided to exit after two and a half years. Fashion’s punk cohort then learned of Hedi Slimane’s departure from Celine, while godmother of Italian romanticism Alberta Ferretti, a pioneer in feminine design and founder of her own eponymous brand, has likewise decided to step aside from her own label.

The wave of exits continued with Glenn Martens, whose avant-garde approach reshaped Y/Project, and brought a perceived level of accessibility and collaboration to Yohan Serfaty’s streetwear coded Parisian label. Then, Peter Hawkings — Tom Ford’s protégé – was appointed in 2023 as the head of the label and as Ford’s successor, only to be ousted a year later; with speculation running rife that the sale of Tom Ford ELC for $2.8 billion the year before played a key role in his departure. Now, Tom Ford is under the tutelage of ‘king of cool’ designer, Haider Ackermann.

Valentino Spring 2024 Couture, by Valentino for Gorunway.com

Meanwhile, Virginie Viard, who began her career at Chanel in 1987, also exited her post at the esteemed French house this year. As the protégé and longtime creative partner of the late Karl Lagerfeld, Viard has been one of the longest-serving creative directors in fashion history. With her departure, Chanel’s design is now in the hands of the studio team, a formula often applied in times of transition. Similarly, Dries Van Noten, the celebrated Belgian designer known for his elevation of prints and subtle, poetic craftsmanship, has announced his retirement; also handing over design to his studio team. 

Pierpaolo Piccioli, celebrated for his inventive, artistically driven designs at Valentino, has also stepped away, passing over the helm of Valentino to Alessandro Michele, the visionary designer previously educated and nurtured at Gucci. Piccioli’s departure marks the end of a transformative era for Valentino, where his creativity and romantic, modern approach redefined the brand’s aesthetic, setting a high bar for Michele’s new chapter.

It said that change is the only constant – and right now in the fashion industry, that couldn’t be more true. As we discussed in our October chapter of our fashion column Interlude,  the financial downturn in luxury fashion, the industry is facing an all time high of competition and intensified pressures to increase profitability and retain consumer loyalty. At what cost to creativity, we ask? Though that’s a topic for another day.

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