It feels like every day there’s a new designer being hired or fired at a major fashion brand. Sometimes more than one. And if this ever-accelerating game of fashion musical chairs has your head spinning, well, just know that you’re not alone. Here’s a handy little cheat sheet to help you keep it all straight.
New York
Calvin Klein Collection: Veronica Leoni → Unknown
Veronica Leoni joined Calvin Klein in May of 2024. She relaunched Calvin Klein Collection with a runway show in February of 2025, but failed to capture that old Calvin magic. Her Fall 2026 show was arguably the most hated collection of NYFW, earning her two scathing reviews in The New York Times. Her exit was announced on October 15, 2026 following her fourth and final (and, ironically, best) show for the brand. Her successor has yet to be named, but we have our fingers crossed for Brandon Maxwell. Rumor has it he interviewed for the job back in 2024, but was passed over for Leoni who worked at The Row and Celine under Phoebe Philo before taking over at Calvin Klein.
Calvin Klein Collection by Veronica Leoni Spring 2027
Derek Lam: Derek Lam → Robert Rodriguez
Derek Lam put his namesake brand on hiatus in 2019, choosing instead to focus solely on his contemporary diffusion brand Derek Lam 10 Crosby. In 2020, he sold the business, which included the IP for both the defunct main line and the still-operating diffusion line, to Public Clothing Co. Lam then stepped away from the brands entirely in 2023 and Public Clothing Co. continued to make collections under the Derek Lam 10 Crosby label with different designers including including Shawn Reddy, Kate Wallance, and Yana Popov. Public Clothing Co. then sold Derek Lam 10 Crosby to NYC Alliance in 2025 and relaunched the Derek Lam main line in February of 2026 under the creative direction of Robert Rodriguez.
Derek Lam by Robert Rodriguez Spring 2027
Derek Lam 10 Crosby: Yana Popov → Derek Lam
Yana Popov’s time at Derek Lam 10 Crosby was brief. After just one collection, she was let go in 2025 ahead of parent company Public Clothing Co.’s selloff of the brand to Alliance NYC. Shortly thereafter, Public Clothing Co. announced the relaunch of the Derek Lam main line under the creative direction of Robert Rodriguez (see above). Then, in September of 2026, Alliance NYC announced that they had rehired Derek Lam to design Derek Lam 10 Crosby. His first collection should be out for Fall 2027, with a runway presentation possible in February 2027 as part of New York Fashion Week.
London
McQueen: Seán McGirr → Unknown
On October 15, 2026, parent company Kering announced that they were parting ways with designer Seán McGirr’s after three years of underwhelming reviews and even more underwhelming sales. No replacement has been named, but the next designer is expected to debut their first collection in London, where the brand was founded and where Lee Alexander McQueen showed his collections until 2001, when he moved his main brand’s runway shows to Paris.
McQueen by Sean McGirr Spring 2026
Mulberry: Johnny Coca → Christopher Kane
Johnny Coca showed his final ready-to-wear collection for Mulberry in February of 2020, after which the company shut down their fashion business to focus exclusively on bags and small leather goods. Then, in March of 2026, the brand announced that they were handing overall creative direction of British designer Christopher Kane and relaunching ready-to-wear. Kane, of course ,was one of the stars of London Fashion Week during his day, even if his namesake label did, ultimately, shut down in 2023. His first show for Mulberry took place in September of 2026 and was one of the highlights of London Fashion Week.
Mulberry by Christopher Kane Spring 2027
Milan
Versace: Dario Vitale → Pieter Mulier
This one was MESSSSSY! Dario Vitale left Miu Miu (where he was Design and Image Director) to lead Versace in 2025, after parent company Capri Holdings pushed out previous designer (and fashion icon) Donatella Versace. Rumor has it Vitale’s original plan was to release a lookbook for his debut (Spring 2026), but he was forced to expand the collection into a full runway show at the last minute. As a result, the collection was not quite as good as it might have been — the Warhol-inspired prints in particular were a real bummer and were not included in the campaign Vitale created with Steven Meisel immediately after the show. Even so, the collection was met with generally positive reviews and whole lot of excitement for what was to come. Which was, of course, a whole lot of nothing, as Capri Holdings sold Versace to Prada Group (owner of Miu Miu) in December of 2025. The deal, it turned out, had been in the works since right after Vitale was hired, but before he showed his collection, and the first thing Prada Group did was fire him. Allegedly they were still bitter over him leaving Miu Miu and wouldn’t have kept him on under any circumstances.
Versace Spring 2026 by Dario Vitale
In February of 2026, Prada Group announced Vitale would be replaced by former Alaïa designer Pieter Mulier, who officially began leading the brand on July 1, 2026 and will debut his first collection — for Versace Couture — in January of 2027.
Diesel: Glenn Martens → Unknown
Glenn Martens showed his final collection for Diesel (Spring 2027) on September 22, 2026. He left the brand to focus exclusively on Maison Margiela, which he took over from John Galliano in January of 2025 and which is owned by OTB Group, which also owns Diesel. His replacement has not yet been announced.
Diesel by Glenn Martens Spring 2027
Moschino: Adrian Appiolaza → Loris Messina and Simone Rizzo
Adrian Appiolaza was hired at Moschino in 2024 and lasted just two and a half years before he was replaced by Sunnei co-founders Loris Messina and Simone Rizzo. The pair were named creative directors of the ironic luxury brand on June 21, 2026 and showed their first collection (Spring 2027) as part of Milan Fashion Week on September 25, 2026 to generally positive reviews.
Moschino by Loris Messina and Simone Rizzo Spring 2027
Etro: Marco De Vincenzo → Unknown
After nearly four years at Etro, Marco De Vincenzo left by mutual agreement, according to a press release issued on March 12, 2026. Etro has yet to name his replacement, but the studio turned out a surprisingly strong collection for Spring 2027, so perhaps they will do what Gucci did with Alessandro Michele years ago and promote someone from within.
Etro Spring 2027
Etro Spring 2027
Etro Spring 2027
Emporio Armani: Girogio Armani → Dario Vitale
After Giorgio Armani’s death in 2025, Emporio Armani was designed by an internal team lead by members of the Armani family. Then, in September of 2026, it was announced that Dario Vitale would be stepping in as Creative Director of Emporio Armani and Giorgio Armani Accessories — the first person to hold these roles outside of the Armani family. He started immediately and works alongside Silvana Armani, head of womenswear design, and Leo Dell’Orco, head of menswear design for Giorgio Armani.
Industry speculation is that if he does well with Emporio and gets along with the Armani family, he will eventually be given full creative control of the entire Armani brand, including Giorgio Armani and Armani Privé.
Bally: Simone Bellotti → Mario Grauso
After Simone Bellotti left in 2025, an in-house team ran design until February of 2026, at which point Mario Grauso was named to the dual roles of creative director and CEO.
Paris
Balenciaga: Pierpaolo Piccioli → Martine Rose
On November 5, 2026, Balenciaga announced they were parting eways with creative director Pierpaolo Piccioli after less than a year and a half. His replacement is Martine Rose, who previously designed menswear at the brand under Demna, who held the job for 10 years before being replaced by Piccioli following his promotion to creative director of Kering’s largest and most important brand, Gucci.
Balenciaga by Pierpaolo Piccioli Summer 2027
Saint Laurent: Anthony Vaccarello → Unknown (but probably Chemena Kamali)
After months of speculation, Anthony Vaccarello’s exit was confirmed by Kering on October 9, 2026. Vaccarello lead Saint Laurent for 10 years following the departure of Hedi Slimane in 2016 and although his replacement has yet to be named, it is an open secret at this point that Chloé’s creative director Chemena Kamali is next in line for the job. She worked under Vaccarello at Saint Laurent for years and has shown herself more than up to the task of growing a heritage brand during her three years at the helm of Chloé.
Saint Laurent by Anthony Vaccarello Spring 2027
Alaïa: Pieter Mulier → Unknown
In January of 2026, Alaïa announced that designer Pieter Mulier would be leaving the brand after 5 very successful years. Boaz Eli, Alaïa’s Ready-to-Wear design director, has been leading in his place, but a permanent replacement has yet to be announced.
Rabanne: Julien Dossena → Olivier Rousteing
Julien Dossena announced his departure from Rabanne in June of 2026, after 13 years. The following month, Olivier Rousteing was appointed the brand’s new creative director of Rabanne. His first collection (Pre-fall 2027) will be unveiled in November of 2026, with his runway debut scheduled for Paris Fashion Week in March of 2027.
Rabanne by Julien Dossena Fall 2026
Courrèges: Nicolas Di Felice → Drew Henry
In March of 2026, Courrèges announced the departure of artistic director, Nicolas Di Felice, who had been with the brand since late 2020. He was replaced by Drew Henry, former senior design director at Burberry under Daniel Lee. Henry showed his first collection (Spring 2027) on September 30, 2026.
Courrèges by Drew Henry Spring 2027
Courrèges by Drew Henry Spring 2027
Courrèges by Drew Henry Spring 2027
Carven: Mark Thomas → Kai Nesselrath
Mark Thomas joined Carven as head of sartorial and creative collaborations in 2023, working closely with then-creative director Louise Trotter. When Trotter decamped for Bottega Veneta, Thomas was then promoted to design director, but held the title for just one year before he was replaced by Kai Nesselrath in June of 2026. Nesselrath came from Saint Laurent and showed his first collection for Carven (Spring 2027) on September 1, 2026.
Carven by Kai Nesselrath Spring 2027
Carven by Kai Nesselrath Spring 2027
Carven by Kai Nesselrath Spring 2027
Nina Ricci: Harris Reed → Unknown (but maybe nobody)
After four years, Harris Reed stepped down from his post at Nina Ricci in March of 2026 to focus solely on his namesake apparel brand. Parent company Puig has yet to name a successor and did not show a collection for Spring 2027, prompting rumors that parent company Puig may be restructuring the brand and eliminating ready-to-wear altogether.
Nina Ricci by Harris Reed Fall 2026
Hermès menswear: Véronique Nichanian → Grace Wales Bonner
After 37 years at Hermès, Véronique Nichanian showed her final collection for the brand (Fall 2026) on January 24, 2026. Grace Wales Bonner was named creative director in October and will show her first collection for the brand (Fall 2027) in January of 2027.
Hermès by Véronique Nichanian Fall 2026 Menswear
Zadig & Voltaire: Thierry Gillier → Dan Sablon
Brand founder Thierry Gillier had been filling in since designer Cecilia Bönström left the brand in 2024 and he announced Dan Sablon as the brand’s new creative director in Februay of 2026. Sablon previously worked as a designer and creative consultant at Marc Jacobs, but was mostly known for his work as a fashion editor at magazines including Lui, i-D, and Vogue France where he held the title of Cultural Director-at-Large. His first collection for the brand (Fall 2026) was shown in March 2026, during Paris Fashion Week.
This list doesn’t even include the designers who showed their first collections this year, but were announced last year: Rachel Scott at Proenza Schouler, Maria Grazia Chiuri at Fendi, Meryll Rogge at Marni, Antonin Tron at Balmain. It’s honestly exhausting to think about and, if you ask us, brands would do well to slow down a little moving forward. After all, it’s hard to identify with and build loyalty to a brand that is constantly in flux. And more and more brands these days seem to be shooting themselves in the foot by constantly firing and hiring designers in an attempt to grow their business, only to lose market share during the transition. Whatever the stock market might say to the contrary, we are very much in the midst of a global economic crisis and the luxury market is shrinking. CEOs and shareholders might want uninterrupted growth, but that’s simply not possible. Not now and not in a closed system. So unless the C-suite execs at these companies have plans to open up new markets on other planets, they’d do well to stop pushing so hard, hire designers they can believe in, and then support them in doing the best they can in the current climate and for the foreseeable (and unforeseeable) future.
Of course, we know that’s not going to happen. So be sure to check back for the updates on the latest hirings and firings on this insane merry-go-round we call fashion. And, if you feel like it, send your favorite designer some positive vibes. They’re gonna need ’em.
