Kim Jones Leaving Fendi

The fashion industry is experiencing significant changes, as evidenced by recent shifts in creative leadership. On Friday, LVMH announced that Kim Jones will be departing from his role as the womenswear designer at Fendi after four years but will continue his work as the artistic director of Dior menswear, a position he has held since 2018. This news follows just a week after LVMH declared that Hedi Slimane would be stepping down from Celine, with Michael Rider set to take his place. These announcements come in the wake of LVMH’s decision to sell Off-White, the brand founded by Virgil Abloh, to Bluestar Alliance, which also recently acquired the celebrity magazine Paris Match and signed a significant 10-year deal with Formula One.

The news regarding Fendi provides clarity amid a flurry of speculation that has permeated the fashion world throughout the summer. Rumors about Jones’ departure had circulated for months, creating an atmosphere of uncertainty that overshadowed the recent ready-to-wear shows. Despite being a highly regarded menswear designer who has significantly impacted Dior and Vuitton, Jones had little prior experience in womenswear when he took on the challenge at Fendi. He was also tasked with multitasking between two different fashion houses while following in the footsteps of the legendary Karl Lagerfeld, who had shaped Fendi for over five decades.

Jones faced unique challenges, including launching his first collection during pandemic restrictions and modernizing a brand historically rooted in fur as the market increasingly moved away from it. Although he did not establish a distinct identity for Fendi womenswear, he proved capable of creating modern and relevant women’s fashion. Notable achievements during his tenure included a mega-resort show celebrating the iconic Fendi Baguette bag, featuring a special appearance by supermodel Linda Evangelista, and successful collaborations with industry heavyweights like Donatella Versace and Marc Jacobs. In doing so, he laid the groundwork for his successor—rumored to be Pierpaolo Piccioli, formerly of Valentino—but this remains unconfirmed as Fendi's announcement on Jones' departure only mentioned that a "new creative organization would be announced in due time."

In a climate already filled with speculation about other designer positions, including those at Chanel and Dries Van Noten, the chaos of rumors has reached new heights on social media. The stability provided by Jones’ ongoing role at Dior, alongside Maria Grazia Chiuri’s continued design of women's collections, suggests that LVMH may not abandon its strategy of multiple creative directors for its luxury brands.

Looking ahead to the next year, several brands, including Celine, Givenchy, Tom Ford, and Calvin Klein, will have new creative directors. This shifting landscape presents an opportunity to focus less on speculation and more on the realities of brand evolution in the fashion industry. —NYT