Ten years ago, the beginnings of what is now known as “fashion designer musical chairs” gained prominence. Creative changes have occured every now and then in fashion, but in 2015 we saw a number of fashion designers moving from one fashion house to another at a rate that was unprecedented. There was Alessandro Michele ascending the Gucci throne, Demna replacing Alexander Wang at Balenciaga, Raf Simons leaving Dior, and the late Alber Elbaz exiting Lanvin, just to name a few. This went on for a couple of years before arriving at some form of stability towards the end of 2017.

Now, 2025 is set to break the record for the highest number of creative personnel changes in a single year.

Change is inevitable, but in fashion it’s actually essential. Few changes shake the industry quite like the appointment of a new creative director. In some ways, it’s the sartorial equivalent of a regime shift: dramatic and brimming with possibility. But when a new creative change is executed well, these shifts are what keep fashion alive.

New blood brings new energy. A designer doesn’t step in to merely echo the past, because that’s not change; they arrive to reimagine the visual vocabulary of a fashion brand. Think of what Hedi Slimane did at CELINE. Bulldozing the work that was done by predecessor Phoebe Philo was certainly controversial, but the result was a commercial juggernaut that got everyone talking and customers clamouring for more. And whether you loved it or loathed it, you were paying attention. That is power.

There is cultural weight to these changes. A debut collection from a new creative director is more than just about new clothes and bags—it is a manifesto. For example, Michele’s first Gucci collection was such a radical reorientation, it not only changed Gucci but also the industry. His poetic soft boys redefined the way we view masculinity and our relationship with clothes and identity. Creative directors today are not only sketching garments, they’re also building worlds with complete narratives. When Kim Jones moved from Louis Vuitton to Dior Men, he did so with a reverence for the latter’s past and a bold eye on the now. Streetwear collided with haute couture, resulting in a House reborn for the hype generation, and with stellar, modern tailoring to match. However, change is also risk, and not every creative pivot soars. Some fall flat—we’ve seen it happen. But even the flops remind us of fashion’s crucial raison d’être: fashion isn’t supposed to stand still.

That’s not to say that these fashion creative directorship changes are any less shocking. When they happen to some of the most beloved creatives who have held their appointments well past the typical three-year cycle mark, there’s a general sense of mourning.

When Loewe’s Jonathan Anderson announced his departure from the brand after slightly more than a decade, the sense of loss was palpable and is still being felt to this day. Anderson’s successors—yes, Loewe has gained a duo of co-creative directors—are Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez who have both left Proenza Schouler, the New York-based brand they founded together, to focus on the undoubtedly huge task that lies ahead of them. They will be debuting their first for Loewe during Paris Fashion Week in October, skipping the upcoming menswear schedule in June. The same goes for Jil Sander and Versace. The former was headed by co-creative directors Luke and Lucie Meier, the husband-and-wife duo who steered the minimalist brand for eight years, and will now be headed by Simone Bellotti from Bally. Versace’s long-time chief creative officer Donatella Versace, stepped down after 27 years to make way for the relatively unknown Dario Vitale. His appointment came about a month before Versace was officially acquired by Prada Group, where he had spent 15 years of his time at working for Miu Miu. Both Bellotti and Vitale are scheduled to make their debuts this September during Milan Fashion Week, presumably through co-ed runway shows.

Perhaps, the most shocking departure was when John Galliano exited Maison Margiela in December last year. Galliano’s 10-year run at the couture fashion house was a fairytale comeback story for the books. After a huge anti-semitic scandal that had him fired from Dior, he successfully turned things around by focusing solely on making headline-worthy collections at Maison Margiela (and making public atonements). His time at Maison Margiela culminated in a much-talked-about collaboration with Christian Louboutin that saw both esteemed labels interpreting their individual signature styles. Galliano is being succeeded by Belgian fashion designed Glenn Martens, who will also juggle his responsibilities as creative director of Diesel. And in what seems in line with the true spirit of Maison Margiela, Martens will make his debut with a couture collection this July.

If there’s one fashion house that has needed a creative revolution for quite some time now, it’s Gucci. The Kering-owned fashion house hasn’t quite resonated with consumers or even mimicked the same level of interest since Michele exited his post in 2022. While Valentino-alum Sabato De Sarno stripped back the excessive more-is-more aesthetic championed by Michele, the stark 180-change never truly landed after a couple of seasons. Kering took a bit more time to recalibrate its creative strategy for Gucci and eventually decided to search for a new creative director from within its stable of creatives: Demna of Balenciaga. Famed for being able to craft hype—good or bad—by creating attention-grabbing collections and pieces, Demna may be what the Group’s flagship fashion house needs.

The vacant spot left by moving Demna over to Gucci was filled up in just two months. And much like Demna for Gucci, Pierpaolo Piccioli for Balenciaga poises to significantly shift the direction that had been set in stone for the past years. Piccioli’s last appointment at Valentino was focused on romantic nuances with a beautiful focus on couture-level craft, and while he’s been known to inject semblances of streetwear-leaning pieces, they’re definitely not to the level that Demna is known for at Balenciaga. Piccioli himself has said in interviews that he intends to not drastically undo the work of previous creative directors, but rather pay homage to them. Even so, there’s bound to be a significant change.

The Spring/Summer 2026 fashion season will hopefully be a turning point for Kering as both newly appointed creative directors showcase their new visions. Demna will kick things off with Gucci during September’s Milan Fashion Week, followed by Piccioli’s Balenciaga debut during Paris Fashion Week in October.

At this point, you’re probably thinking everything’s changing and everyone is debuting something new. Yes, you’re right. In the mix of a potential new fashion era fatigue, however, there is still a lot of exciting creative shifts that many are anticipating. They have to do with a couple of factors, namely, the appointment of a widely revered designer and that it’s time for fresh perspectives.

Slimane’s rock-and-roll aesthetic for CELINE is set to make way for something less aesthetic-heavy and perhaps more intellectual. The House’s latest creative director Michael Rider, worked under Philo for a decade during her time at the House, and was previously the creative director at Polo Ralph Lauren. All that says is that CELINE (will the grave accent “e” make a return?) could potentially be less rock chic and more serious gallerist. At Chanel, former Bottega Veneta creative director Matthieu Blazy has the task of crafting a new narrative for the House, one that hasn’t quite seen a significant shift since the passing of the legend that is Karl Largerfeld in 2019. While we’re hoping that Blazy’s appointment would mean an official expansion into menswear, global CEO Leena Nair has shut down any rumours of the ilk. Still, the advent of a new vision for Chanel is much to look forward to. That also means we are expecting a new touch to Bottega Veneta under Blazy-replacement Louis Trotter. The former materialised such a standout treatment for the House, that is rooted in craft, that Trotter’s more refined repertoire—from Calvin Klein to Lacoste to Carven—could make for an interesting counterpoint.

We do need to wait a bit more for the new looks to CELINE, Chanel and Bottega Veneta. They’re all scheduled for the Paris Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2026 womenswear show season. What’s almost within reach is Anderson’s first turn as Dior’s sole creative director. Making his debut this June during Paris Fashion Week Men’s, it’s arguably the most anticipated show of the season. His tenure at Loewe has become synonymous with the brand, that speculating how he’ll reimagine Dior house codes in his art- and design-centric perspective (while having a genial commercial sense) is almost a fool’s errand. Anderson will certainly surprise—there’s no doubt about it.

There are plenty of reasons to be optimistic. The reason? A number of debuts earlier this year have already proven that the 2025 cohort of new creative directors have the chops. (Or that we’re a bit starved of actual, good fashion). Calvin Klein Collection’s official return under Veronica Leoni was a triumphant serve of chic proposals, while Julian Klausner proved that the beloved Dries Van Noten aesthetic is in excellent hands. Both Haider Ackermann and Sarah Burton too had made spirited runway debuts with Tom Ford and Givenchy respectively, combining their own individual skillset with the heritage of their new charges.

It’s a dawn of new dawns, of new days, and new lives. Let’s just say, we are kind of feeling good about all of them.