Update: Speaking to Business of Fashion, a spokesperson for Louis Vuitton has categorically denied Reuters' report that it is considering a change of Creative Director, and has clarified that Ghesquière's five year contract expires in November 2018.
It's been a year of incessant upheaval and musical chairs in the fashion industry. To recap for those who are struggling to keep up: Raf Simons left Dior (reportedly he's going to Calvin Klein) and was recently replaced by Valentino’s Maria Grazia Chiuri. Not long after Raf's departure, Alber Elbaz left Lanvin, later replaced by female Artistic Director Bouchra Jarrar. Slimane left Saint Laurent to be succeeded by Anthony Vaccarello, and Jonathan Saunders closed his eponymous label to take the creative helm at DVF. And that's just the tip of the iceberg in terms of changes within the structuring of the industry and challenges to the old show schedule and format.
Today, the rumour mills are in overdrive again as it has been speculated by Reuters that LVMH's CEO Bernard Arnault is about to replace the current Creative Director at Louis Vuitton, Nicolas Ghesquière, with Brit designer Jonathan Anderson, the designer at J.W.Anderson as well as Creative Director at Spanish luxury brand Loewe, also in the LVMH group. According to close sources, the switch may come as soon as October, following the SS17 show in Paris, not even three years after former Balenciaga designer Ghesquière took up the position at Vuitton, replacing Marc Jacobs.
Louis Vuitton hasn't released a public statement on the matter yet but if the rumours are true that Ghesquière is in fact leaving, then Jonathan Anderson, who won both Womenswear and Menswear Designer of the Year at last year's British Fashion Awards, and is one of the most lauded talents on the fashion schedule, seems like a likely successor indeed.
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