Rachel Scott Is the New Creative Director of Proenza Schouler
Diotima’s Rachel Scott is the new creative director of Proenza Schouler. The news was revealed on Tuesday, September 2, just about nine months after co-founders Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez announced their departure from the brand and their move to succeed Jonathan Anderson at Loewe.
“When we left Proenza Schouler last January, we knew the story would go on but not yet who would write the next chapter,” Hernandez and McCollough said in a statement. “Rachel is someone whose work we have always admired. Her trajectory over the last few years has been impressive to watch. As founders and board members of the company, we are proud to welcome her to this very special brand and excited to see how she will embrace and evolve the legacy and spirit of what we started.”
It’s, without a doubt, an exciting placement. Since launching in 2021, Scott has turned Diotima into a New York darling brand, bringing her native Jamaican roots and signature crochet work to the city streets. She has become a mainstay at New York Fashion Week and has proven herself to be a major player in the fashion scene in a remarkably short amount of time. In 2023, she made it to the finals of the LVMH Prize and was named emerging designer of the year by the Council of Fashion Designers of America. In 2024, the CFDA doubled down, awarding Scott with America’s Womenswear Designer of the Year. Luckily, Scott’s new appointment doesn’t mean she will leave her own brand behind. The designer will continue to work on Diotima and has a spring/summer 2026 presentation set for September 15 during New York Fashion Week.
Scott feels like a perfect fit for the Proenza role. Along with crochet, she has an impressive handle on tailoring, often combining the techniques to modern, feminine results. Proenza Schouler, too, is known for its knitwear and tailoring, but also its representation of the New York woman, a demographic Scott has similarly captured with Diotima.
“As one of the most celebrated design talents of today, Rachel brings a fresh and female perspective to a brand built on the spirit of the modern American woman,” said Proenza Schouler’s CEO, Shira Suveyke Snyder. “Her profound understanding of Proenza Schouler’s brand codes, paired with her exceptional ability to marry craft with innovation, made her the natural choice to lead the brand forward.”
Scott with some of her Diotima designs in February 2023.
Scott was hired by Proenza Schouler to consult on the brand earlier this year, and has been working closely with the design studio there to “shape the brand’s creative evolution,” according to the press release. As a result, Proenza Schoulers’s own spring/summer 2025 collection is a collaboration between Scott and the design studio, and will serve “as an opening statement and an intimate preview of her perspective, one that will continue to unfold in the seasons ahead.” In her new position, Scott will oversee all categories for the brand, including White Label, handbags, and footwear, along with the main ready-to-wear line. Still, we won’t get Scott’s fully realized vision for the future of Proenza Schouler until she presents her official first collection in February 2026.
“It is with great excitement that I join Proenza Schouler, a brand at the heart of American fashion, and one I have long admired,” Scott said. “I hold deep respect for the beauty and world Jack and Lazaro so brilliantly crafted, and I look forward to bringing my perspective in dialogue with their legacy. I am honored to step into this role to envision the next chapter of Proenza Schouler.”
