The year 2024 was particularly rich in fashion movements: more than twenty departures and appointments were announced within major luxury houses. Summary of the main decisions taken over the last twelve months.
Bottega Veneta welcomes Louise Trotter
On December 11, the Italian house Bottega Veneta announced the departure of Matthieu Blazy who had been working there since 2021. The Franco-Belgian leaves behind a strong brand, both in the media and financially: in the third quarter of 2024, his turnover was up 5%, to 397 million euros. To replace him, the brand announced a few days later that it would call on British stylist Louise Trotter. The latter leaves Carven after two years of practice.
Chanel: an ultra-coveted position taken over by Matthieu Blazy
Since the announcement of Virginie Viard’s departure at the beginning of June, it was one of the most coveted positions. It was ultimately Matthieu Blazy who was appointed creative director at Chanel in mid-December. He thus becomes the fourth artistic director of the fashion collections at the Maison de la rue Cambon, succeeding Gabrielle Chanel, Karl Lagerfeld and Virginie Viard.
Givenchy recrute Sarah Burton
In September, the fashion house Givenchy formalized the arrival of designer Sarah Burton as new artistic director. An appointment which came almost a year after her departure from Alexander McQueen. Its highly anticipated first collection will be presented next March during the Fall-Winter 2025/2026 Fashion Week.
Celine says goodbye to Hedi Slimane
Another surprise of the year: the departure of Hedi Slimane after six years of reign at Celine. The designer who redesigned the codes of the Parisian house could launch his own label, as his new Instagram account (@hedislimanehomme) suggests. Without wasting time, the Celine house revealed the name of its successor: it is Michael Rider, former artistic director at Polo Ralph Lauren.
Valentino shines thanks to the arrival of Alessandro Michele
Earlier in the year, it was the arrival of Alessandro Michele at the head of Valentino that caused a lot of noise. His first looks shared from summer 2024 were crowned with success, with experts praising his attention to detail.
Key positions left vacant
The announcements should continue to rain in 2025, because a good number of positions have not yet been filled. We think in particular of Maison Margiela which formalized the departure of John Galliano after ten years of good and loyal service, but also Carven who said goodbye to Louise Trotter or even Fendi who split from Kim Jones last October.
