jonathan anderson designer man loewe collection paris

Balenciaga, David Sims

Fashion

Your Definitive Guide to Luxury Fashion's Game of Creative Director Musical Chairs

From Pierpaolo at Balenciaga to Duran Lantink at JPG, here are all the appointments you need to know about.

Your Definitive Guide to Luxury Fashion's Game of Creative Director Musical Chairs

From Pierpaolo at Balenciaga to Duran Lantink at JPG, here are all the appointments you need to know about.

After months of updates from the likes of Donatella Versace, Demna and Jonathan Anderson, it’s safe to say that the term “luxury slow-down” doesn’t refer to the recent slew of creative director announcements. With that in mind, it’s sort of becoming impossible to keep up with who’s left which brand and where they’ve ended up. As a result, we thought it would be worth our time to start keeping track of the latest shakeups.

In the last few months, we’ve witnessed Casey Cadwallader step down from Mugler, Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez replace Jonathan Anderson at LOEWE, Demna leave Balenciaga for Gucci and Donatella step down as chief creative officer. In December 2024, we saw the departure of Matthieu Blazy from Bottega Veneta, who then moved over to Chanel, leaving Louise Trotter as his replacement. We also saw Dries Van Noten step down from his namesake label, naming Julian Klausner as the brand’s new creative director, plus the appointment of David Koma at Blumarine.

Alongside new appointments, this means there’s still a slew of eligible creative directors without positions, rumored to take over at other luxury labels. For example, the currently unattached Anderson is reportedly set to join Dior… Elsewhere, the likes of Kim Jones, John Galliano and Riccardo Tisci still remain to be placed…

To keep up with the latest news, we’ve compiled an ongoing guide to the creative directors — past and present — of luxury fashion’s biggest brands. From Balenciaga to Blazy, you’ll find everything you need to know below.

Scroll down for your definitive guide to luxury’s creative directors, old and new.

Balenciaga’s Creative Director: Pierpaolo Piccioli

jonathan anderson designer man loewe collection paris Demna was the creative director of Balenciaga before moving to Gucci. As of May 19, 2025, Pierpaolo Piccioli has been named the new creative director of Balenciaga, coming from Valentino. Piccioli is set to debut his first collection for the house in October 2025. “Balenciaga is what it is today thanks to all the people who have paved the way. In all its phases, while constantly evolving and changing, it has never lost track of the House’s aesthetic values,” Piccioli shared in a statement.

“What I am receiving is a brand full of possibilities that is incredibly fascinating. I must first and foremost thank Demna; I’ve always admired his talent and vision. I couldn’t ask for a better passing of the torch. This gives me the chance to shape a new version of the Maison, adding another chapter with a new story. I am grateful for the trust that François-Henri, Francesca and Gianfranco are giving me. We were effortlessly on the same page from the start, and that is the best way to begin something new,” he continued.

Dior’s Creative Director: Maria Grazia Chiuri (womenswear), Jonathan Anderson (Menswear)

jonathan anderson designer man loewe collection paris John Galliano was the creative director of Dior from 1996 to 2011, replaced by Raf Simons in 2012. In 2016, Maria Grazia Chiuri was named women’s artistic director and has remained at the helm ever since. For menswear, Kim Jones was appointed as men’s artistic director in 2018 and announced his departure in January of this year. Jones has just been replaced by Jonathan Anderson, who exited LOEWE earlier this year.

Jean Paul Gaultier’s Creative Director: Duran Lantink

jonathan anderson designer man loewe collection paris Jean Paul Gaultier announced his retirement from the brand back in 2020, leading to a series of guest designer couture shows featuring the likes of Simone Rocha, Julien Dossena and Haider Ackermann. Now, JPG has just announced that rising designer Duran Lantink will end the brand’s “collaborative era” and become its permanent creative director. “I see in him the energy, audacity, and playful spirit through fashion that I had at the beginning of my own journey: the new enfant terrible of fashion. Welcome, Duran,” Gaultier said in a statement.

Mugler’s Creative Director: Miguel Castro Freitas

jonathan anderson designer man loewe collection paris Miguel Castro Freitas has just been named Mugler‘s new creative director, replacing Casey Cadwallader who was at the helm of the brand for seven years. Freitas comes from a storied career in fashion, previously working under Raf Simons at Dior and with Dries Van Noten at his namesake label.

Prada’s Creative Directors: Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons

jonathan anderson designer man loewe collection paris In April 2020, it was announced that Raf Simons would join Miuccia Prada as a co-creative director. Since then, the duo have been working on both the brand’s womenswear and menswear collections. Previously, Miuccia Prada served as Prada‘s sole creative director.

Gucci’s Creative Director: Demna

jonathan anderson designer man loewe collection paris In 1994, Tom Ford was named creative director of Gucci, serving the brand for 10 years before exiting. Following Ford’s departure, Gucci worked with John Ray and Alessandra Facchinetti, who later became the brand’s creative directors for menswear and womenswear, respectively. Facchinetti designed for Gucci for just two seasons before leaving, which led Frida Giannini to take the reigns as creative director of womenswear, before taking over altogether in 2006. In January 2015, Alessandro Michele was named Gucci’s new creative director, followed by Sabato de Sarno in 2023. Most recently, the brand has named Balenciaga’s Demna as its new creative director, effective from July 2025.

Saint Laurent’s Creative Director: Anthony Vaccarello

jonathan anderson designer man loewe collection paris At present, Anthony Vaccarello is the creative director of Saint Laurent and has been since April 2016. Prior to Vaccarello, Saint Laurent had appointed Hedi Slimane as its creative director in 2012, returning to the brand that he’d worked for as art director back in 2012.

Louis Vuitton’s Creative Directors: Nicolas Ghesquière and Pharrell Williams

jonathan anderson designer man loewe collection paris Marc Jacobs was made Louis Vuitton‘s artistic director in 1997, replaced by Nicolas Ghesquière in 2013, who became the house’s artistic director of women’s collections. In 2011, Kim Jones was named artistic director for menswear, replaced by Virgil Abloh in 2018. After the tragic passing of Abloh in 2021, Pharrell Williams was named LV’s creative director of menswear.

Jil Sander’s Creative Director: Simone Bellotti

jonathan anderson designer man loewe collection paris Simone Bellotti is the current creative director at Jil Sander, replacing Lucie and Luke Meyers who announced their departure in February 2025.

Burberry’s Creative Director: Daniel Lee

jonathan anderson designer man loewe collection paris Daniel Lee is Burberry‘s current creative director, though industry rumors suggest he’ll soon be stepping down. Before Lee, Christopher Bailey was at the helm of the brand and had been since May 2001.

Bottega Veneta’s Creative Director: Louise Trotter

jonathan anderson designer man loewe collection paris Louise Trotter is currently the creative director for Bottega Veneta, replacing Matthieu Blazy who stepped down in December 2024. Prior to Blazy, Daniel Lee held the title, appointed in 2018 and left in 2021.

CELINE’s Creative Director: Michael Rider

jonathan anderson designer man loewe collection paris Michael Rider is the current creative director at CELINE, following on from Hedi Slimane who was appointed in 2018 and exited the brand in 2024. Prior to Slimane, Phoebe Philo was at the helm, serving the brand from 2008 to 2018.

Chanel’s Creative Director: Matthieu Blazy

jonathan anderson designer man loewe collection paris Matthieu Blazy was recently appointed creative director of Chanel after leaving his role at Bottega Veneta. Prior to Blazy, Virginie Vard held the role, first appointed in 2019.

Diesel’s Creative Director: Glenn Martens

jonathan anderson designer man loewe collection paris Glenn Martens is still (thankfully) the creative director of Diesel, first appointed in 2020. Prior to Martens, Nicola Formichetti held the title of artistic director, given the role back in Spring 2013.

Maison Margiela’s Creative Director: Glenn Martens

jonathan anderson designer man loewe collection paris Glenn Martens is the new creative director of Maison Margiela, taking over from John Galliano earlier this year.

LOEWE’s Creative Directors: Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez

jonathan anderson designer man loewe collection paris Jonathan Anderson left LOEWE after an incredible 11 years as its creative director just this month. Now, the official announcement of who is set to replace him has landed. Formerly of Proenza Schouler, Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez will be replacing Anderson, looking after all of LOEWE collections from April 7th. Of course, rumors continue to infiltrate industry conversations, with many insiders suspecting that Anderson will soon take over at Dior.

Miu Miu’s Creative Director: Miuccia Prada

jonathan anderson designer man loewe collection paris Miuccia Prada is the creative director of Miu Miu and has been since she created it, so it’s unlikely we’ll see any movement there any time soon — but anything’s possible.

Fendi’s Creative Director: To be confirmed

jonathan anderson designer man loewe collection paris After Karl Lagerfeld in 2019, Silvia Venturini Fendi took over the creation of both Fendi‘s menswear and womenswear. In 2020, Kim Jones was appointed the brand’s artistic director for womenswear, before leaving in 2024. At present, a replacement for Jones has yet to be formally announced, but rumors suggest that Pierpaolo PIccioli is set to take the reigns.

Versace’s Creative Director: Dario Vitale

jonathan anderson designer man loewe collection paris Donatella Versace stepped down as the brand’s creative director just last week, as Versace announced that Dario Vitale would be taking over as chief creative officer. Donatella continues to serve at the brand but instead, has stepped into the role of chief brand officer.

McQueen’s Creative Director: Sean McGirr

jonathan anderson designer man loewe collection paris Sean McGirr was recently named McQueen‘s new creative director, joining the brand in October 2023. Sarah Burton was McQueen’s creative director from 2010 till 2023, taking over the brand after Alexander McQueen died.

Givenchy’s Creative Director: Sarah Burton

jonathan anderson designer man loewe collection paris Sarah Burton joined Givenchy in 2024, taking over from Matthew Williams who was at the helm of the brand from 2020 to 2023. Prior to Williams, Clare Waight Keller was the brand’s creative director, from 2017 to 2020.

Moschino’s Creative Director: Adrian Appiolaza

jonathan anderson designer man loewe collection paris Moschino‘s current creative director is Adrian Appiolaza, who took the reigns after Davide Renne sadly passed away — less than a month after he was named Jeremy Scott‘s replacement. Before Renne, Scott was the brand’s creative director for 10 years, appointed in 2023.