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In fashion at the moment, as seen on the catwalk: frills, corsets, large shoulder pads, and “nude dresses”. Out of fashion: appointing women as chief designers.
At the recent Spring-Summer 2026 Womenswear Fashion Weeks in Paris and Milan, the impact of the massive reshuffle at the top of the European luxury textile industry was clearly visible.
From Chanel, Dior, Celine, Baleniaga, Loewe to Jean Paul Gaultier, around 10 major labels unveiled the first collections of new artistic directors.
In Milan, heavyhitters Gucci, Versace and Bottega Veneta also highlighted newly appointed designers.
On only one occasion, the new face receiving a bow and applause at the end was a woman, Briton Louise Trotter at Bottega Veneta, while Matthew Blazey at Chanel and Jonathan Anderson at Dior both replaced high-profile female predecessors.
“It seemed like there was some opening just before Covid,” said Karen Van Godtsenhoven, a fashion academic at Ghent University in Belgium and guest curator of the 2023 exhibition “Women Dressing Women” at New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art.
“But I think Covid has played a role in bringing back more conservative and reactionary thinking in society at large. For the fashion industry, it means going back to the old certainties of the male solo designer,” he said.
Dana Thomas, an American fashion writer and author of “Deluxe: How Luxury Lost Its Luster”, laments the fact that the highly concentrated industry is dominated by conservative older male owners at LVMH, Kering and Chanel.
“I think Chanel really missed a big opportunity by not hiring a woman to run the house that was founded by the most famous woman and influencer in fashion,” she told AFP, referring to Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel.
She lists other labels created by famous 20th century female designers Lanvin, Nina Ricci, Schiaparelli or Celine.
“They all have men as creative directors now,” he said.
Recently appointed Sarah Burton at LVMH-owned Givenchy and Maria Grazia Chiuri at Fendi, who were named this week, are the only exceptions to the new boys’ club running major labels.
Family-owned Hermes, which has had two women in charge for more than a decade, announced Friday that its menswear designer Véronique Nichanian is stepping down after 37 years.
– Male myth? ,
There are many reasons for the dominance of men at the top of the industry.
“In most industries there is a certain limit for women, so in that sense luxury fashion is no exception, but it has its own specificities,” said Frédéric Godart, a professor at the French business school INSEAD and author of “Unveiling Fashion.”
He cites the industry’s “historically male-dominated” leadership as well as its punitive work culture and pay disparities that make it more difficult for women to reach the top.
She described the absence of women in the latest mega-round of job changes as “quite glaring”, as the industry has “collectively and in many instances claimed that it cares about diversity.”
The third reason he cites is the myth of the “male genius designer” that continues to influence decision makers.
Van Godsenhoven said that the two most recent female designers of Chanel and Dior were widely seen in the industry as transitional or continuity figures.
She believes that while women are still confined to “craft” roles, they are present in abundance at all levels of the production process while men are seen as “fashion” visionaries.
“I think it’s a stereotype that’s stuck in people’s minds. And I think it’s very damaging to both men and women in the industry,” she explained.
– New Generation –
As the majority of female designers continue to graduate from fashion schools, there is no dearth of female talent in the industry.
They are well represented in management positions, Chanel, Gucci and Dior are run by women.
Figures from luxury giant Kering show that women make up 58 percent of its management positions and half of its executive board.
LVMH did not respond when contacted for comment.
Given the difficulties of rising to the top, experts say talented female designers like Iris van Herpen, Molly Goddard or Simone Rocha are taking the path of other female designers like Donna Karen and starting their own labels.
“There’s a whole generation of women who are really, really good, and they’re not getting a break,” Thomas said.
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