the big debut ball

The year ahead promises to be full of discoveries. Numerous positions have been filled throughout 2024, including just before the holidays, in the creative direction of some of the most prestigious houses in the luxury segment. Like Chanel, who after six months of suspense, chose Matthieu Blazy to write her new chapter. Likewise, several outgoing designers have not yet found a destination, while others, still in post, could be threatened, according to certain indiscretions. In this first part, FashionNetwork.com takes an overview of the major artistic direction debuts of the most famous fashion labels expected for 2025.

Lanvin

The first event not to be missed at the start of the year concerns Lanvin, which is returning to the catwalks. The Parisian fashion house of the Chinese giant Lanvin Group (formerly Fosun Fashion Group) has been absent from Paris Fashion Week since March 2023. This will be an opportunity to discover the work of its brand new creative director, the Briton Peter Copping, appointed last June, a little over a year after the departure of his predecessor Bruno Sialelli. Lanvin will close Men’s Week with a mixed show for women and men on the evening of January 26, positioning itself as the opening of Haute Couture Week, which begins the next day.

Calvin Klein

Calvin Klein is also making a comeback after his last show more than six years ago on the New York catwalks, with a new captain at the head of his style. This is the Italian Veronica Leoni, creator of the Quira brand, previously known for Jil Sander, Celine, Moncler and The Row. She takes over the creative direction occupied until 2018 by Raf Simons. His first collection for the American brand of the PVH Corp group will be unveiled on February 7 during New York Fashion Week.

Alberta Ferretti

For Alberta Ferretti, 2024 meant a passing of the baton. At the end of September, the eponymous designer decided to step down from creative direction, while retaining her role as vice president of the Italian fashion group Aeffe, which she founded in 1980 with her brother Massimo Ferretti. Lorenzo Serafini takes over. For ten years he has been designing the young Philosophy line, which will be merged from this year with Alberta Ferretti, whose new face should be discovered in February in Milan.

Blumarine

Also in Milan, February Women’s Week should highlight the work of David Koma at Blumarine, the brand owned since 2019 by the Exelite holding (formerly Eccellenze Italiane) of the founder and boss of Liu Jo, Marco Marchi. The new creative director took over in July from Walter Chiapponi, who abruptly left the Italian luxury house just four months after being hired and delivering his first collection. Georgian-born designer David Koma also continues to run his own brand, which shows in London.

Missoni

To everyone’s surprise, Filippo Grazioli, who had helmed Missoni’s style since 2022, was fired last October. The new creative director is none other than Alberto Caliri, active since 1998 in the Italian house. The man who was Angela Missoni’s right-hand man for many years had already taken over at the head of the ready-to-wear collections, when in 2021 the daughter of the founders withdrew from artistic direction, which she had been supervising for 24 years. Alberto Caliri then acted as interim manager until the arrival of Filippo Grazioli, subsequently taking control of the Missoni Home furniture line. He now oversees the design of all Missoni lines, which should unveil this year its new lifestyle image coordinated between women’s ready-to-wear, men’s fashion and home.

Givenchy

After Milan, it will be Paris’ turn to unveil the new creative face of a certain number of houses. In particular, at the beginning of March, the Givenchy fashion show. It will be held for the first time under the aegis of Sarah Burton. The one who spent her entire career at Alexander McQueen (Kering) until October 2023, where she was immediately replaced by Seán McGirr, took the reins of the Parisian house owned by LVMH last September, taking the position left vacant nine months earlier by the American Matthew M. Williams. Given Sarah Burton’s profile, which is very different from that of her predecessor, this is a new chapter that should open for the Parisian label known for its sophisticated elegance.

Tom Ford

The Tom Ford fashion show is doubly anticipated. On the one hand, because the American house, whose fashion activity is managed by the Ermenegildo Zegna group, is transferring its show from Milan to Paris, where it will be held in March. On the other hand, because the event marks not only a new creative direction for the brand, but also the big return to the fashion scene of Haider Ackermann, who suspended his own brand in 2020. Renowned for his art of tailoring and his drapes, the French designer of Colombian origin, who likes to be influenced by world cultures, succeeds Peter Hawkings. The latter had been at the helm of the label for barely a year. He took over from Texan founder Tom Ford after the latter withdrew in the spring of 2023.

Dries Van Noten

The show by Dries Van Noten, owned by the Spanish group Puig, should also attract crowds on March 5, as he will unveil the very first collection for the house signed by Belgian Julian Klausner. This internal designer at the studio was promoted to the position of creative director in December, with the delicate mission of taking up the torch from the founder, the emblematic Dries Van Noten, who stepped down last June.

Miu Miu

Also in March, you will have to keep an eye on Miu Miu, which is showing in Paris. The young line of the Italian group Prada is still led by creative director Miuccia Prada, but it has undergone a significant change within her studio. Very popular, while the brand has had a string of successes for several seasons, its design director Dario Vitale is leaving and must be replaced from the end of January by Francesca Nicoletti, who has worked alongside him for several years.

Bottega Veneta

To replace Matthieu Blazy, who left for Chanel, who has managed Bottega Veneta since 2021, Louise Trotter has been appointed. The British designer arrives from Carven, where she took the reins in 2023. She is due to take up her new role at the head of the Kering luxury house at the end of January. The date of his first show has not been specified, but it should be held in September, constituting one of the highlights of Milan Fashion Week.

Chanel

The most popular event of Paris Week next October for spring-summer 2026 will undoubtedly be the Chanel fashion show. After months of crazy rumors, it was Matthieu Blazy who got the job of the century. He succeeds Virginie Viard, who left the label in June after having headed the creative direction for five years and having been Karl Lagerfeld’s right-hand man for more than thirty years. A way for Chanel to definitively turn the page written by the “Kaiser”. The talented French designer takes office at the start of 2025 with the mission of modernizing the venerable house, while making it ever more desirable.

Celine

In October 2024, Hedi Slimane left the Celine label, which he had successfully relaunched since 2018. A few hours after the announcement of the emblematic designer’s departure, his successor was immediately named. This is Michael Rider, who joined the LVMH label at the start of the year. The American has twenty years of experience in luxury. Having worked for Balenciaga and Ralph Lauren, he has already worked in the French house under the aegis of Phoebe Philo, from 2008 to 2018. The launch date of his first collection is not yet known, but it should take place logically. in the fall.