Leadership Swaps and Global Goals Driving Design Changes in Fashion
Design in fashion and beyond isn’t static—it’s changing quickly due to new leaders and more attention to issues like sustainability. Over the past year, major brands have had many executive changes, often leading to new creative ideas. Alliances like Design for Good are getting designers to work on UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). These steps show bigger changes, from style updates to ethical focuses, driven by what buyers want and world problems. Recent shake-ups also hit Versace and Louis Vuitton with new creative directors, as noted by Our Culture Mag.
New Creative Directors Reshaping Brand Identities
The fashion world has buzzed with high-profile creative director appointments and exits, showing possible changes in design styles and plans. For instance, French luxury house Balmain named Antonin Tron as its new creative director after Olivier Rousteing stepped down following 14 years, as reported by Drapers Online in a roundup of recent retail moves. Similarly, Hermès appointed British designer Grace Wales Bonner as head of menswear, replacing Véronique Nichanian after nearly 37 years in the role.
Other notable shifts include Fendi bringing back Maria Grazia Chiuri as chief creative officer—previously of Dior—and LVMH naming Ramon Ros as CEO of the brand, which could steer its designs toward bolder, different paths. Christian Louboutin even tapped Jaden Smith as its first men’s creative director, blending entertainment with footwear design. These changes often come from succession planning, like at Giorgio Armani where Giuseppe Marsocci became CEO to carry out the founder’s plans, or creative updates, as seen with Daisy Street unveiling its first collection under Holly Bullivant-Cave.
Exits have been just as telling: Silvia Venturini Fendi stepped away from her creative role to become honorary brand president, and Oscar de la Renta’s joint creative directors Laura Kim and Fernando Garcia left to focus on their label Monse. According to Drapers Online, these moves across brands like Burberry, M&S, and AllSaints reflect an industry effort to hire diverse talent amid economic pressures and consumer demands for relevance. The result? Design changes that combine heritage with modern influences, like Wales Bonner’s take on Hermès menswear or Tron’s new vision at Balmain.
- Balmain: Antonin Tron succeeds Olivier Rousteing (November 2024).
- Hermès: Grace Wales Bonner replaces Véronique Nichanian (October 2024).
- Fendi: Maria Grazia Chiuri returns, with new CEO Ramon Ros (recent LVMH appointment).
- Christian Louboutin: Jaden Smith as first men’s creative director.
Sustainability and SDGs as Catalysts for Ethical Design
Beyond boardroom shuffles, outside pressures like climate and social goals are pushing design changes. Designers from top firms are teaming up to address UN SDGs, showing how the private sector can create real innovations. Ben Sheppard, founder of Design for Good and ex-McKinsey global design research head, told Fortune that every design choice shapes the future, urging the under-1% of professionals in design to step up.
The alliance, including Microsoft, General Mills, LIXIL, Airbus, and DBS, works in two-year cycles. Their first effort (2022-2024) targeted clean water and sanitation, producing tools like the WaterStarters app for Kenyan water technicians to track maintenance—now free on Google Play and scaling in real communities. The current cycle, started in 2024, focuses on quality education, with projects rolling out soon.
These initiatives highlight causes like resource scarcity and equity as main drivers of design shifts. In fashion, this ties into trends from 2023 onward, where sustainability became non-negotiable amid supply chain disruptions and consumer calls for ethics. Brands facing leadership changes, such as those at LVMH or Hermès, may speed up these integrations, blending creative flair with purpose-driven changes. Even in home design, trends are shifting away from bouclé fabrics toward mohair, velvet, and woven knits in rich colors, as Yahoo Style Canada reports, driven by wants for tougher, textured looks in 2025-2026.
Overall, 2024’s changes—from creative director handovers to SDG-focused collaborations—come from a mix of internal successions and outside needs, preparing the way for more flexible, effective designs ahead.