While 2017 saw the departure of two long-standing creative directors from fashion houses – Phoebe Philo from Céline after 10 years and Christopher Bailey from Burberry after 17 – the latest announcement is that Kim Jones will be leaving his role as men’s artistic director at Louis Vuitton.
Designing for the Parisian house since 2011, Jones’s collections have continued to push the travel aesthetic that is at the core of the label, taking inspiration from his trips to Japan, Africa and India. Not to mention enlisting the likes of the Chapman Brothers, and more recently the industry-shaking collab with Supreme.
It has yet to be announced who will be replacing Jones following his final collection tomorrow at PFW. It is also unknown where the designer will be heading to next. Last year WWD reported that Jones was moving to Versace – a rumour that was denied by the Italian house. While Jones has never formally designed womenswear, his name has also been put in the running alongside Philo to take over at Burberry. It likely won’t be long before there is news on all of the open design positions, so watch this space.
Read Kim Jones and Jake Chapman head-to-head in our interview taken from the November 2013 issue here.
