THE CREATIVE DIRECTOR[Y]
Excited to share the 2025 EDITION OF MY CREATIVE DIRECTORY. This is the result of over a year of independent research, and one day it will become my life’s work: a chronological timeline of all creative direction in fashion and it’s interconnectivity.
When I started this research in 2024, I could barely keep up with the constant hires and fires at houses like Chanel, Bottega Veneta, Gucci, Helmut Lang, Margiela, etc etc. What began as a few casual searches quickly spiraled into this intricate sartorial spiderweb. I realized we are in a great shift in the fashion industry much like the one that happened back in 2003-2008. So, I started compiling this comprehensive visual and written record of artistic leadership.
I plan to keep expanding this into a larger resource each year, maybe even a book eventually. I’d love to incorporate more layers like where these designers trained too - schools and internships, like Martin Margiela and Glenn Martens studied under Jean Paul Gaultier, highlight the Antwerp 6, as well as map the broader structures of LVMH, Kering, OTB, etc, so more to come there tooo.
For now, enjoy the following info - also including answers to your most commonly asked questions below:
I hoope you learn something:
**small edit for some common questions!
How log did this take? I started this in September 2024. It has been completely independent research. Hard to say exactly how much time i’ve put in at this point. but many many late hours.
What did I make it on? It’s been a combination of the softwares Obsidian and FIGMA as well as the good old notes app (old reliable).
What do the colors mean? The key is actually quite simple :)
BLUE - part of the founding family
RED - previous appointed creative director
GREEN- current creative director
ORANGE - open position (creative director unconfirmed)
GREY - traces individual names across all their positions
How/Why did you make this? This information didn’t exist holistically anywhere. I know because I looked everywhere haha. I think it is such an important and applicable resource. And with the current state of creative direction I wanted to be able to see the “bigger picture” somehow for the sake of my journalism. This project has put sooo much into perspective for me as it pertains to the state of the industry, fashion history, etc.
As for the how I did this one name and brand at a time. Carefully verifying with the most direct source I could find for each brand This is what took the longest. A lot of cold emailing watching documentaries, scouring Internet Archive, Vogue Runway, Each brands websites, old WWD articles, and reaching out to PRs, you name it i did it. This is V3 of the project and completely up to date with the oldest brands being
HERMÈS — 1837
LOUIS VUITTON — 1854
BURBERRY — 1856
LOEWE — 1846 (approx)
LANVIN — 1889
With all that said kindly find all the dates of each creative director listed above. I highlight recommend doing a split screen with the directory as you go along :)
ACNE STUDIOS 🇸🇪
– Jonny Johansson (1996–Present
ALEXANDER MCQUEEN 🇬🇧
– Lee Alexander McQueen (1992–2010)
– Sarah Burton (2010–2023)
– Seán McGirr (2023–Present)
ALAÏA 🇹🇳
– Azzedine Alaïa (1964–2017)
– Pieter Mulier (2021–Present)
ALYX
– Matthew Williams (2015–Present)
ANN DEMEULEMEESTER 🇧🇪
– Ann Verhelst (1985–2013)
– Sébastien Meunier (2013–2020)
– Ludovic De Saint Sernin (2022–2023)
– Stefano Gallici (2023–Present)
BALENCIAGA 🇪🇸
– Cristóbal Balenciaga (1919–1968)
– Michel Goma (1987–1992)
– Josephus Thimister (1992–1997)
– Nicolas Ghesquière (1997–2012)
– Alexander Wang (2012–2015)
– Demna Gvasalia (2015–Present)
BALMAIN 🇫🇷
– Pierre Balmain (1945–1982)
– Erik Mortensen (1982–1990)
– Herve Pierre (1990–1993)
– Oscar de la Renta (1993–2002)
– Christophe Decarnin (2005–2011)
– Olivier Rousteing (2011–2025)
– Antonin Tron (2025–Present)
BIANCA SAUNDERS 🇬🇧
– Bianca Saunders (2017–Present)
BLUMARINE 🇮🇹
– Anna Molinari (1977–2019)
– Nicola Brognano (2019–2023)
– Walter Chiapponi (2023–2024)
– David Kona (2024–Present)
BOTTEGA VENETA 🇮🇹
– Michele Taddei & Renzo Zengiaro (1966–Late 1970s)
– Laura Moltedo (Late 1970s–2000)
– Giles Deacon (2000–2001)
– Tomas Maier (2001–2018)
– Edward Buchanan (2001–2005)
– Daniel Lee (2018–2021)
– Matthieu Blazy (2021–2024)
– Louise Trotter (2024–Present)
BURBERRY 🇬🇧
– Thomas Burberry (1856–1926)
– Rose Marie Bravo (1997–2006)
– Fabien Baron (2002–2004)
– Christopher Bailey (2001–2018)
– Riccardo Tisci (2018–2022)
– Daniel Lee (2022–Present)
CALVIN KLEIN 🇺🇸
– Calvin Klein (1968–2020)
– Francisco Costa (2003–2016)
– Italo Zuccheri (2004–2016)
– Raf Simons (2016–2018)
– Veronica Leoni (2024–Present)
CELINE 🇫🇷
– Céline Vipiana (1945–1997)
– Peggy Huynh Kinh (1987–1996)
– Michael Kors (1997–2003)
– Roberto Menichetti (2004–2005)
– Ivan Omazic (2005–2008)
– Phoebe Philo (2008–2018)
– Hedi Slimane (2018–2024)
– Michael Rider (2024–Present)
CHLOÉ 🇫🇷
– Gaby Aghion (1952–1985)
– Martine Sitbon (1987–1992)
– Karl Lagerfeld (1964–1983, 1992–1997)
– Stella McCartney (1997–2001)
– Phoebe Philo (2001–2006)
– Hannah MacGibbon (2008–2011)
– Clare Waight Keller (2011–2017)
– Natacha Ramsay-Levi (2017–2020)
– Gabriela Hearst (2020–2023)
– Chemena Kamali (2023–Present)
CHRISTIAN LOUBOUTIN 🇫🇷
– Christian Louboutin (1991–Present)
– Jaden Smith (2025–Present)
COACH 🇺🇸
– Bonnie Cashin (1962–1974)
– Reed Krakoff (1996–2013)
– Stuart Vevers (2013–Present)
COMME DES GARÇONS 🇯🇵
– Rei Kawakubo (1969–Present)
COPERNI 🇫🇷
– Sébastien Meyer & Arnaud Vaillant (2013–Present)
COURRÈGES 🇫🇷
– André Courrèges (1961–1986)
– Coqueline Courrèges (1986–1994)
– Jacques Bungert & Frédéric Torloting (2011–2015)
– Sébastien Meyer & Arnaud Vaillant (2015–2017)
– Yolanda Zobel (2018–2020)
– Nicolas Di Felice (2020–Present)
DIESEL 🇮🇹
– Renzo Rosso (1978–2004)
– Wilbert Das (2004–2009)
– Bruno Collin (2009–2013)
– Nicola Formichetti (2013–2017)
– Glenn Martens (2020–Present)
DIOR 🇫🇷
– Christian Dior (1946–1957)
– Yves Saint Laurent (1957–1960)
– Marc Bohan (1960–1989)
– Gianfranco Ferré (1989–1996)
– John Galliano (1996–2011)
– Bill Gaytten (2011–2012)
– Raf Simons (2012–2015)
– Serge Ruffieux & Lucie Meier (2016)
– Maria Grazia Chiuri (2016–2025)
– Kim Jones (2018–2025)
– Johnathan Anderson (2025–Present)
DOLCE & GABBANA 🇮🇹
– Domenico Dolce & Stefano Gabbana (1985–Present)
DRIES VAN NOTEN 🇧🇪
– Dries Van Noten (1986–2023)
– Julian Klausner (2024–Present)
DSQUARED2 🇨🇦
– Dean & Dan Caten (1995–Present)
ERL 🇺🇸
– Eli Russell Linnetz (2018–Present)
FENDI 🇮🇹
– Adele & Edoardo Fendi (1925–1965)
– Karl Lagerfeld (1965–2019)
– Silvia Venturini Fendi (2019–Present, Menswear)
– Kim Jones (2020–2024, Womenswear)
– Maria Grazia Chiuri (2025–Present)
FERRAGAMO 🇮🇹
– Salvatore Ferragamo (1927–1960)
– Fiamma Ferragamo (1960–1998)
– Massimiliano Giornetti (2010–2016)
– Paul Andrew (2019–2021)
– Maximilian Davis (2022–Present)
GIVENCHY 🇫🇷
– Hubert de Givenchy (1952–1995)
– John Galliano (1995–1996)
– Lee Alexander McQueen (1997–2001)
– Julien MacDonald (2001–2005)
– Riccardo Tisci (2005–2017)
– Clare Waight Keller (2017–2020)
– Matthew M. Williams (2020–2023)
– Sarah Burton (2024–Present)
GIORGIO ARMANI 🇮🇹
– Giorgio Armani (1975–2050)
GUCCI 🇮🇹
– Guccio Gucci (1921–1953)
– Aldo & Rodolfo Gucci (1953–1983)
– Maurizio Gucci (1983–1993)
– Dawn Mello (1989–1994)
– Tom Ford (1994–2004)
– Alessandra Facchinetti (2004)
– John Ray (2004–2005)
– Frida Giannini (2006–2015)
– Alessandro Michele (2015–2022)
– Sabato De Sarno (2023–2025)
– Demna Gvasalia (2025–Present
HAIDER ACKERMANN🇫🇷
-Haider Ackermann (2001-Present)
HELMUT LANG 🇦🇹
– Helmut Lang (1986–2005)
– Michael & Nicole Colovos (2006–2010)
– Isabella Burley (2016–2018, Editor-in-Residence)
– Shayne Oliver (2017)
– Mark Thomas (2017–2019)
– Alix Browne (2018–2020, Editor-in-Residence)
– Peter Do (2023–2024)
HERMÈS 🇫🇷
– Thierry Hermès (1837–1880)
– Charles-Émile Hermès (1880–1902)
– Émile Hermès (1902–1951)
– Robert Dumas Hermès (1951–1964)
– Jean-Louis Dumas (1964–1978)
– Pierre-Alexis Dumas (TBD)
– Véronique Nichanian (1988–2026)
– Eric Bergere (1978–1997)
– Martin Margiela (1997–2003)
– Jean Paul Gaultier (2003–2010)
– Christophe Lemaire (2010–2014)
– Nadège Vanhee-Cybulski (2014–Present)
– Grace Wales Bonner (2026–Present)
HOOD BY AIR 🇺🇸
– Shayne Oliver (2006–Present)
– Raul Lopez (2006–2014)
ISABEL MARANT 🇫🇷
– Isabel Marant (1994–2025)
– Kim Becker (2021–Present)
ISSEY MIYAKE 🇯🇵
– Issey Miyake (1970–1999)
– Naoki Takizawa (1999-2006)
– Dai Fujiwara (2006-2011)
– Yoshiyuki Miyamae (2011–2019)
– Satoshi Kondo (2019–Present)
JACQUEMUS 🇫🇷
– Simon Porte Jacquemus (2009–Present)
JEAN PAUL GAULTIER 🇫🇷
– Jean Paul Gaultier (1976–2020)
– Chitose Abe (2021)
– Glenn Martens (2022)
– Olivier Rousteing (2022)
– Haider Ackermann (2023)
– Julien Dossena (2023)
– Ludovic de Saint Sernin (2024–2025)
– Duran Lantink (2025–Present)
JIL SANDER 🇩🇪
– Jil Sander (1968–2000)
– Raf Simons (2005–2012)
– Rodolfo Paglialunga (2014–2017)
– Lucie Meier & Luke Meier (2018–2025)
– Simone Bellotti (2025–Present)
JW ANDERSON 🇬🇧
– Jonathan Anderson (2008–Present)
JUNYA WATANABE 🇯🇵
– Junya Watanabe (1993–Present)
KENZO 🇯🇵
– Kenzo Takada (1970–1999)
– Gilles Rosier (1999–2003)
– Antonio Marras (2004–2011)
– Carol Lim & Humberto Leon (2011–2019)
– Felipe Baptista (2020–2022)
– Tomoaki Nagao (Nigo) (2022–Present)
LANVIN 🇫🇷
-Jeanne Lanvin (1889 - 1946)
-Marguerite Lanvin (1946 - 1989)
-Claude Montana (1989-1992)
-Ocimar Versolato(1996 - 1999) WOMENSWEAR
-Dominique Morlotti (1997 - 2000) MENSWEAR
-Cristina Ortiz (1998 -2002) WOMENSWEAR
-Lucas Ossendrijver(2012 - 2018) MENSWEAR
-Alber Elbaz (2002 - 2015) WOMENSWEAR
-Bouchra Jarrar (2016 - 2017)WOMENSWEAR
-Olivier Lapidus (2017 - 2018)
-Bruno Sialelli (2019 - 2023)
Peter Coppong (2024 - Present)
LEMAIRE 🇫🇷
– Christophe Lemaire (1991–Present)
– Sarah Tran (2014–Present)
LOEWE 🇪🇸
-Jose Silva & Florencio Rivas
-Johann (Enrique) Loewe
-Enrique Hinton
-Enrique Loewe Knappe & German Loewe Knappe
-Jose Perez
-Ken Scott
-Karl Lagerfeld
-Cesari Fabbre
-Narciso Rodriguez (1997 - 2000)
-Jose Selfa (2000-2007)
-Stuart Vevers (2008 -2013)
-Jonathan Anderson (2013 - 2025
-Lazaro Hernandez & Jack McCollough (2025 - Present)
LOUIS VUITTON 🇫🇷
-Louis Vuitton (1854 - 1893)
-Georges Vuitton (1893- 1936)
-Gasto-Louis Vuiton (1936 - 1970)
-Marc Jacobs (1997 - 2013)
-Kim Jones (2011 - 2018)
-Virgil Abloh (2018 - 2021)
-Nicolas Ghesquiere (2013 - Present) Womenswear
-Pharrell Williams (2023 - Present ) Menswear
MAISON MARGIELA 🇫🇷/🇧🇪
– Martin Margiela (1988–2009)
– John Galliano (2014–2024)
– Glenn Martens (2025–Present)
MARC JACOBS
– Marc Jacobs (1984–Present)
MISSONI 🇮🇹
– Ottavio & Rosita Missoni (1958–1997)
– Angela Missoni (1997–2021)
– Filippo Grazioli (2021–2024)
– Alberto Caliri (2024–Present)
MIU MIU 🇮🇹
– Miuccia Prada (1993–Present)
MOSCHINO 🇮🇹
– Franco Moschino (1983–1994)
– Rossella Jardini (1994–2013)
– Jeremy Scott (2013–2023)
– Davide Renne (2023)
– Adrian Appiolaza (2024–Present)
MUGLER 🇫🇷
– Manfred Thierry Mugler (1973–2002)
– Rosemary Rodriguez (2008–2011)
– Nicola Formichetti (2011–2013)
– David Koma (2013–2017)
– Casey Cadwallader (2017–2024)
– Miguel Castro Freitas (2025–Present)
NUMBER (N)INE 🇯🇵
– Takahiro Miyashita (1996–2009)
– Hiroki Hashimoto (2010–Present)
OFF-WHITE 🇺🇸
– Virgil Abloh (2013–2021)
– Ibrahim Kamara (2022–Present)
OTTOLINGER
– Christa Bösch & Cosima Gadient (2015–Present)
PETER DO 🇺🇸/🇻🇳
– Peter Do (2018–Present)
PHOEBE PHILO 🇬🇧
– Phoebe Philo (Independent label from 2023–Present)
PRADA 🇮🇹
– Mario Prada (1913–1958)
– Luisa Prada (1958–1978)
– Miuccia Prada (1978–Present)
– Raf Simons (2020–Present)
RAF SIMONS
– Raf Simons (1995–2022)
RICK OWENS 🇺🇸/🇫🇷
– Rick Owens (1994–Present)
ROBERTO CAVALLI 🇮🇹
– Roberto Cavalli (1970–2015)
– Peter Dundas (2015–2017)
– Paul Surridge (2017–2019)
– Fausto Puglisi (2020–Present)
SACAI 🇯🇵
– Chitose Abe (1999–Present)
SCHIAPARELLI 🇫🇷
– Elsa Schiaparelli (1927–1954)
– Marco Zanini (2013–2014)
– Bertrand Guyon (2015–2019)
– Daniel Roseberry (2019–Present)
SIMONE ROCHA 🇺🇸
– Simone Rocha (2010–Present)
TAKAHIROMIYASHITA TheSoloist 🇯🇵
– Takahiro Miyashita (Founder & Creative Director)
TELFAR
– Telfar Clemens (2005–Present)
THE ROW 🇫🇷
– Mary-Kate & Ashley Olsen (2006–Present)
THOM BROWNE 🇺🇸
– Thom Browne (2003–Present)
TOM FORD 🇺🇸
– Tom Ford (2005–2023)
– Peter Hawkins (2023–2024)
– Haider Ackermann (2024–Present)
UNDERCOVER 🇯🇵
– Jun Takahashi (1993–Present)
VALENTINO 🇮🇹
– Valentino Garavani (1960–2007)
– Alessandra Facchinetti (2007–2008)
– Maria Grazia Chiuri (2008–2018)
– Pierpaolo Piccioli (2008–2024)
– Alessandro Michele (2024–Present)
VERSACE 🇮🇹
– Gianni Versace (1978–1997)
– Donatella Versace (1997–2025)
– Dario Vitale (2025–Present)
VETEMENTS 🇫🇷
– Demna Gvasalia (2014–2019)
– Guram Gvasalia (2021–Present)
VIVIENNE WESTWOOD 🇬🇧
– Vivienne Westwood (1971–2016)
– Andreas Kronthaler (2016–Present)
WALES BONNER 🇬🇧
– Grace Wales Bonner (2014–Present)
a special thank you to my many friends and collaborators who helped me verify information:
https://www.instagram.com/myclothingarchive/?hl=en
https://www.thefashioncodex.org/wiki/Home
https://www.youtube.com/@understitchYT
https://archive.org/