LVMH: Negotiations, speculations, and new creative directors for the group's luxury brands

By

Dominique Muret

Translated by
Nicola Mira

Published
Dec 22, 2023

The heralded departure of Matthew M. Williams, who has been in charge of style at Givenchy since 2020, has fuelled a fresh spate of wild rumours about his succession. And about the creative director positions at other LVMH labels. Is a new round of musical chairs on the cards at the French luxury giant? Other labels besides Givenchy might indeed find themselves with a new creative director in the coming months, Fendi among them.

The first delicate task awaiting LVMH in early 2024 is to find a designer capable of rejuvenating a venerable house like Givenchy. According to analysts, the Parisian label has not yet climbed back to pre-Covid revenue levels. Since the end of the Riccardo Tisci era, which lasted for 12 years, from 2006 to 2017, during which the label boosted its menswear and went big on streetwear, Givenchy has never managed to gain widespread popularity. The three-year interlude under the aegis of British designer Clare Waight-Keller, when Givenchy returned to a soft, ultra-feminine style, and the subsequent injection of streetwear administered for nearly four years by Williams, have merely succeeded in blurring the image of this historic house, renowned for its couture-chic heritage.
 
The question is whether LVMH Fashion Group CEO Sidney Toledano will opt for a celebrity designer, for the reassuring profile of an experienced stylist who has earned her or his stripes at another major label, or whether he will go for a trending name. The designer most frequently mentioned in conjunction with Givenchy is now Sarah Burton. She brilliantly steered Alexander McQueen, a brand owned by rival Kering, which she left in September after fourteen years. Above all, she has the stature and talent to rise to such a challenge.

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Among French designers, why not Christelle Kocher, who has always been comfortable with a street couture aesthetic, and has a wealth of experience in luxury? According to some rumours, Paco Rabanne’s creative director Julien Dossena might also be considered for the role. His name has been circulating ubiquitously for several months, every time a creative director position has opened. But it seems an unlikely possibility, and the same goes for the return of Riccardo Tisci, who was dismissed by Burberry in 2022. From London, thriving young designers like Simone Rocha and Richard Quinn could also stake a claim for the Givenchy role.
 
Not to mention the highly popular Simon Porte Jacquemus, whose name had already done the rounds a few months ago, specifically for Givenchy, and whose potential candidacy is now back in favour. LVMH is extremely interested in Porte Jacquemus’s flourishing ready-to-wear label, and could draw closer to the designer by offering him the Givenchy role. But Porte Jacquemus is keen to remain independent, and previous talks have apparently led nowhere. 

 
The creative director slot now vacant at Givenchy might also prompt LVMH to make changes at some of its other labels. Notably at Fendi, where the experiment with Kim Jones has not been a triumph. Jones, who has successfully managed Dior Homme for five years, and in 2020 also took charge of Fendi’s womenswear and haute couture collections, has failed to impress so far.
 
Finding a successor is a matter of urgency. Silvia Venturini Fendi, heiress of the Fendi family and the creative director of Fendi’s menswear and women’s accessories, having taken over for two seasons after Karl Lagerfeld’s death, could be back in the running. She worked alongside Lagerfeld for 27 years, and her women’s collections, presented in September 2019 and February 2020, were highly appreciated. A representative of Fendi’s third generation, she is best placed to claim this role.

Alessandro Michele to return?

 
Nevertheless, in recent months, rumours have been rife about another name, that of Alessandro Michele, the iconic creative director who relaunched Gucci between 2015 and 2022. Exactly one year has passed since he was dismissed by Gucci and, from the end of November, Michele is no longer bound by a non-competition clause.
 
Between the end of 1990 and 2002, Michele worked in Fendi’s accessories department, alongside Lagerfeld and Silvia Venturini Fendi, just before joining Gucci. Several sources close to Fendi and Michele have confirmed that he and the Roman label might link up again. Others are saying he might join Bulgari, another LVMH-owned brand, also based in Rome. Michele would like to stay in Italy’s capital, where he worked during his time at Gucci, even if at some point it also seemed he was heading for Givenchy.
 
Although, Paris could be the uber-creative designer’s new destination. Another rather surprising theory circulated last month. Michele could take the place of Maria Grazia Chiuri as creative director of Christian Dior's womenswear collections, while Chiuri could be dispatched to bolster Fendi. Nothing is suggesting that such a striking change could occur at Dior, whose success has continued unabated since 2016, when Chiuri took charge of style. The theory has not been confirmed by other sources.

 
Meanwhile, the creative directors of other LVMH labels could take advantage of the situation to explore new avenues. Jonathan Anderson, who has just won the coveted Designer of the Year award at the London Fashion Awards, is in charge of, besides his own label, Spanish label Loewe. Since Anderson took charge in 2013, Loewe, another LVMH-owned brand, has grown considerably, becoming a highly prized name. After 10 years, the Irish designer could legitimately aspire to a new, more prestigious position.
 
At Louis Vuitton, for example, the creative director post seems secure, but behind closed doors the situation could be less settled. Pharrell Williams took charge of menswear in February, while the contract of Nicolas Ghesquière, who has been firmly at the helm of Vuitton’s women’s collections for 10 years, was renewed last month. However, there are whispers that the French designer is less than happy about the shadow cast by his new colleague. The US rap star has had no qualms about straying onto Ghesquière’s turf, unveiling women’s looks in his first show and choosing a woman, popular singer Rihanna, to front his first ad campaign.

Bernard Arnault’s vast empire is constantly in search of fresh creative energy. Even some of its smaller, less directional labels are likely to pick household names as creative directors. Ever since Flemish designer Kris Van Assche left menswear label Berluti in April 2021, after being at the helm for three years, following a decade overseeing Dior Homme, the label has been left with no one in charge of style. Similarly, thriving Italian label Loro Piana does not have a creative director. The name of Paul Surridge, who used to spearhead Roberto Cavalli, was floated in March, but Loro Piana blatantly denied it. Plenty of surprise twists are expected at LVMH in 2024.