New Names, Old Houses
John Galliano’s early-March dismissal from Dior was just the start of what has become a dizzying game of musical chairs at fashion’s top design houses. Here is a cheat sheet of changes thus far.
Balmain: Olivier Rousteing
After the much hyped departure of Christophe Decarnin in March, Balmain promoted French-born designer Rousteing—who had been in charge of its women’s wear design studio since 2009—to the position of designer. And if his men’s 2012 collection, filled with exotic-skinned luxe looks, is any indication, it will be a smooth transition.
Kenzo: Humberto Leon and Carol Lim
Opening Ceremony’s Leon and Lim are some of the hardest working folks in fashion. In addition to running four shops and designing an in-house label and a range of collaborative lines, the pair was tapped in July to take over for Antonio Marras, Kenzo’s creative director for the past eight years. Their first collection will debut in October.
Chloe: Clare Waight Keller
Two months after resigning from Pringle of Scotland, where she served as creative director since 2005, the British-born Waight Keller—whose CV includes stints at Calvin Klein, Ralph Lauren, and Tom Ford–era Gucci—assumed the mantle at Chloé, replacing Hannah MacGibbon.
Cacharel: Ling Liu and Dawei Sun
To succeed Cédric Charlier, who, despite favorable reviews, was ousted in March, Cacharel hired Liu and Sun, two Balenciaga alums who launched their own couture-inspired label, Belle Ninon, in 2009. The Chinese-born design duo is the French house’s third set of male-female pairs to take the reins.
Pringle of Scotland: Alistair Carr
To fill Waight Keller’s shoes, Pringle brought in British designer Carr, who shelved his own women’s wear label in 2005 to work at such big-name houses as Marni, Cacharel, Chloé, and, most recently, Balenciaga, where he designed the runway collection. His first showing for resort 2012 took the ye-olde-knitwear brand in a decidedly futuristic direction.
