Fashion’s creative overhaul: 15 designers in new roles across the Big Four fashion weeks

From Dior to Chanel, Gucci to Versace, this season marks a historic reshuffle

Of all the changes at design houses, Matthieu Blazy's move to Chanel is perhaps the most anticipated. Photo: Chanel

New York Fashion Week spring/summer 2026 kicks off on September 11, opening the new Big Four season across New York, London, Milan and Paris.

Fashion thrives on change, but this season is unprecedented: 15 designers will deliver debut collections in new roles.

Some may feel niche to a Middle Eastern audience — Nicholas Aburn at AREA, for instance — but many shifts are era-defining. Jonathan Anderson is making his women’s ready-to-wear debut at Christian Dior, where he now oversees men’s, women’s and haute couture as the first designer in decades to hold all three. That means at least 10 shows a year, each scrutinised under Dior’s fierce spotlight.

British designer Jonathan Anderson will debut his women's ready-to-wear collection for Dior, during Paris Fashion Week, spring-summer 2026. EPA

Replacing Anderson at Loewe is design duo Lazaro Hernandez and Jack McCollough, founders of Proenza Schouler, who have decamped from New York to Paris. Their departure opens the way for Jamaican designer Rachel Scott to step in at Proenza, alongside her own label Diotima.

Industry veteran Pierpaolo Piccioli will be showing his first collection for the storied Spanish name of Balenciaga, nearly 18 months after leaving Valentino.

With 25 years of experience across ready-to-wear and haute couture at Valentino, he is seen as a return to elegance for Balenciaga, after 10 somewhat notorious years led by Georgian designer Demna, who embraced oversized streetwear for the house.

Donatella Versace has stepped aside from her family's label, with new creative director Dario Vitale to show his first collection, during Milan Fashion Week spring/summer 2026. AFP

Demna, meanwhile, has shifted across to stable-mate company Gucci, for whom he will deliver his first collection in a couple of weeks.

His arrival comes at a crucial time for parent company Kering, which hopes he can ignite the same buzz as his tenure at Balenciaga.

Other changes include Duran Lantinks at Jean Paul Gaultier, ending its era of rotating guest designers; Miguel Castro Freitas at Mugler; Mark Thomas at Carven; and Dario Vitale at Versace, the house’s first non-family creative chief, already teased at Venice by Julia Roberts and Amanda Seyfried. Donatella Versace steps into the role of chief brand ambassador at the company, that was acquired by Prada in April.

Industry veteran Pierpaolo Piccioli is expected to bring back old-school elegance at Balenciaga. Photo: Balenciaga

Simone Bellotti will reveal his first Jil Sander collection, while Louise Trotter outlines her vision for Bottega Veneta.

And in what may be the season’s biggest shift, Matthieu Blazy moves to Chanel, taking over from Virginie Viard. Having previously transformed Bottega Veneta, his arrival at Chanel — arguably fashion’s most consequential role — is expected to herald an entirely new era. His show, closing Paris Fashion Week, carries the full weight of Parisian expectation.