July 30, 2025 |
Fashion Week is fast approaching, which means our Puzzle bags are packed and our carry-ons are already zipped in anticipation of what promises to be a jam-packed month of runway shows and headline-snatching designer debuts. Why? Because in the fashion world’s favourite sport – the great game of fashion designer musical chairs of course – is reaching its fever pitch. This September and October, a new gang of fresh-faced (and very well-dressed) creative directors will step up to the podium at their respective maisons to show us what they’re really made of.
The first in a domino effect of designer debuts is slated to drop in New York. At 10am on September 12, Nicholas Aburn will officially step into his role as the new creative director of Area. Taking the reins from Area co-founder Piotrek Panszczyk, Aburn is poised to usher in a new era for the brand – one that promises couture pedigree with a subversive twist.
With 12 years of experience already under the Maryland native’s belt – he cut his teeth at Tom Ford before taking on womenswear at Alexander Wang and, most recently, serving as senior couture designer at Balenciaga – Area is in for a distinctly sharpened silhouette. Aburn brings with him a resume laced with luxury and a taste for theatrics, which makes him an intriguing fit for a label that thrives on high-octane glamour with an avant-garde edge.
Skipping London to land in Milan, the next debut to note will come by way of a teaser as opposed to a show: Demna will unveil the first look at his vision for Gucci. While the house has kept the exact format of the teaser under wraps, this “first hint” is expected to lay the foundations for the glorious Gucci magic to come in the new year with Demna’s debut show slated to take place March 2026. Call it an amuse-bouche before the main course.
Teased back in May with an intimate campaign that featured black-and-white portraits of everyone from Zadie Smith and Tyler, The Creator to Barbara Chase-Riboud, Louise Trotter’s Bottega Veneta is also gearing up to make its long-awaited runway debut. Starring a quietly dazzling ensemble cast, the Jack Davison-lensed advertorial spotlights the enduring legacy of Intrecciato – the house’s iconic leather weave – through the poetic language of hands, relationships and quiet gestures. With the designer set to make her first appearance for the storied house during Milan Fashion Week this September, the mood is one of chic suspense.
Ahead of the show, Trotter’s first breadcrumbs of vision for Bottega Veneta made their way onto the Cannes red carpet – and if they’re anything to go by, she’s keeping things sharp, sensual and devastatingly precise. House ambassador Julianne Moore – who also featured in the campaign – donned a floor-length black sheath dress with a sculptural, tassel-trailing leather strap for the premiere of Wes Anderson’s The Phoenician Scheme, followed later in the week by a razor-sharp, double-breasted tuxedo with wide lapels and an air of effortless authority.
Meanwhile, Luxembourgish actress Vicky Krieps – also in the campaign – served quiet provocation in a wide-gauge burgundy intrecciato leather plastron, its folded, slashed neckline balanced by billowy white trousers, and later, a statuesque leather column dress featuring a geometric neckline and tassel detail – an echo of Moore’s, flipped in reverse. Together, the looks signalled what Trotter does best: refined sensuality, deeply rooted in craft, with just enough friction to keep things interesting. If these were the appetisers, then we’re more than ready for what’s to come.
Next up: the Versace/Prada shake-up. Following the repositioning of Donatella Versace – who stepped down as chief creative officer to assume the role of chief brand ambassador – it was announced that Dario Vitale would succeed her at the helm of the Italian house. Formerly Miu Miu’s design and image director, Vitale’s appointment marks a new era, not just creatively, but structurally too.
Billed as the first non-family member to lead Versace’s creative vision, Vitale arrives with serious fashion pedigree – having been instrumental in engineering Miu Miu’s viral renaissance under Prada Group. Known for his avant-garde sensibility and razor-sharp grasp of cultural nuance, he’s expected to bring a refined, cerebral edge to Versace’s signature flash and fearlessness with an intimate presentation as opposed to a show. The house’s sex appeal may remain intact, but the Vitale twist will likely come with a dose of intellectual cool.
This leadership shift coincides with a much larger industry power move: after months of rumour and strategic whispers, it’s been confirmed that the Prada Group has entered a definitive agreement to acquire 100 per cent of Versace from Capri Holdings for €1.25 billion. The transaction, expected to close later this year, will cement one of the most seismic fashion realignments in recent history.
Later, during Milan Fashion Week, Italian designer Simone Bellotti is expected to make his debut at Jil Sander. Following in the formidable footsteps of Luke and Lucie Meier who helmed the brand between 2017 and 2025, Bellotti, who held the title of creative director at Bally since October 2022, is expected to bring his fresh, artistic stylings to the German label.
Having grown up in Milan before relocating to Antwerp, Bellotti was quickly embraced by the city’s radically creative circles. Having held a 16-year tenure at Gucci, he also boasts previous senior titles at A.F. Vandervorst, Dolce & Gabbana, Bottega Veneta and Gianfranco Ferré, where he cut his teeth across both ready-to-wear and accessories. He possesses a keen eye for detail and a penchant for interpreting archival references in innovative ways, drawing on art, photography and music for inspiration.
Earlier this month, Bellotti offered a glimpse into his Jil Sander through a moody, cinematic music video and accompanying EP titled A Beginning Is a Dialogue. Shot in Hamburg – the birthplace of the house – and soundtracked by Italian electronic musician Bochum Welt, the project explores duality through movement, sound and texture. Real people drift through urban chaos and quiet nature, day slips into night and raw intimacy blends with the poetic and abstract. The video, directed by Sean Vegezzi with art direction by Christopher Simmonds, signals Bellotti’s intent to root his Jil Sander in emotional resonance as much as formal precision.
Paris is where things really start to pick up the pace, with six big-name debuts slotting out space on the Fashion Week calendar. Kicking off October 1 at 2:30pm, Jonathan Anderson will make his Dior womenswear debut. At the men’s show in June, we received the first taste of Anderson’s Dior, which reconstructed formality with a subversive edge – fusing 18th-century references, Donegal tweed and untucked schoolboy ties into a collection that felt at once grounded and radically modern. Attendees also caught an early glimpse of what the women’s collection might entail when Sabrina Carpenter appeared in a grey marl blazer and skirt set – preppy yet perfectly off-kilter – that easily won over both fashion fans and the pop starlet’s devoted followers. On BlackPink’s Deadline tour, Jisoo also donned a custom Dior by Jonathan Anderson look that took over 100 hours to complete: a baby pink twinset featuring a cropped, bow-adorned top and pleated skirt, evoking a doll-like delicacy with a knowing wink toward uniform dressing and hyper-femininity.
Later, at 7pm that same day, Haider Ackermann will show his second Tom Ford collection. The French fashion designer presented his first offering for the American house back in March, and it was met with universal praise for capturing the essence of Ford’s signature sensuality while infusing it with his own cerebral precision. Featuring sleek, sophisticated silhouettes charged with the distinctly seductive spirit of the brand, it was a triumphant fusion – Ford’s provocative glam filtered through Ackermann’s lens of poetic restraint. From his expert tailoring and masterful colour combinations to slicked-back blondes in blood-red lips and buttery leather, the debut reasserted Tom Ford as fashion’s reigning temple of hedonistic polish. From this next collection, we expect no less: a continuation of erotic elegance, crafted with fastidious detail and modern magnetism.
The next day, Miguel Castro Freitas is slated to make his Mugler debut with a high-voltage runway show at noon. Taking the helm after the departure of Casey Cadwallader who stepped down in March following an eight year run, Castro Freitas steps into the role with both reverence and reinvention on his mind. Prior to his appointment, the fresh faced designer has previously held positions at Dior under John Galliano, Saint Laurent under Stefano Pilati and Lanvin under Alber Elbaz. He has also held positions as the head of tailoring at Dior lead by Raf Simons, and as head of womenswear at Dries Van Noten. Expect razor-sharp silhouettes, conceptual drama and a bold recalibration of Mugler’s iconic sensuality – we’re buzzing to see how Castro Freitas channels the house’s storied futurism into a new kind of elegance.
Succeeding Jonathan Anderson at Loewe, Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez are gearing up for a crowd-pulling debut. On October 3 at 11:30am, the co-founders of American label Proenza Schouler will present their first womenswear collection for the storied Spanish house – one that’s already generating whispers of a fresh transatlantic energy poised to shake up Paris Fashion Week. Expect a studied blend of sculptural craft and cool-girl pragmatism, steeped in the duo’s signature balance of sophistication and wearability – with Loewe’s artisanal codes reimagined through a distinctly New York lens.
While their appointment to Loewe marks the first time the boys have headed up a house on this side of the Atlantic, they are far from fashion rookies. Bursting onto the scene straight out of Parsons – famously selling their graduate collection to Barneys – McCollough and Hernandez have spent over two decades as darlings of the New York fashion circuit, consistently pushing American fashion forward through their sharp tailoring, intelligent construction and downtown polish. With five CFDA Awards under their belts, including multiple Womenswear Designer of the Year wins, they now bring that same rigor and refinement to one of Europe’s most avant-garde maisons. Their challenge? To build on Jonathan Anderson’s genre-defying legacy while imprinting a new era of Loewe – one that feels as global, cerebral and emotionally resonant as the times demand.
Later in the day, Sarah Burton is set to present her sophomore collection for Givenchy. Taking place at 5:30pm, it’s sure to reinforce her debut’s quietly resonant reimagining of the house’s codes while hinting at deeper emotional textures beneath the minimalism. Her debut collection, after all, was celebrated for its precision, understated elegance, and its ability to recalibrate Givenchy’s heritage with modern, body‑contouring femininity .
Glenn Martens’ ready-to-wear debut at Maison Margiela will unfold at 12pm on October 4, marking one of the week’s most anticipated moments. Martens served up the first taste of his take on Margiela earlier this month with a spectral, subversive artisanal show staged in an industrial Paris basement. There, he reimagined the house’s codes through a lens of gothic decay and romantic ruin: think dry-cleaning bag ballgowns, antique leather coats peeling like wallpaper and metal masks seemingly welded by car body specialists. It was couture as cinematic horror – beautiful, broken and deeply Margiela. Martens, who hails from Bruges and carries a CV spanning Diesel, Y/Project and Jean Paul Gaultier, proved he was more than ready to follow in the footsteps of both Galliano and the maison’s elusive founder. For his ready-to-wear debut, expect the same reverence for deconstruction and theatre, layered with his own razor-sharp sense of innovation.
On October 4 at 8pm, a new Balenciaga era will dawn with Pierpaolo Piccioli – one of fashion’s greatest colourists – as the design head of its fashion collections. Succeeding Demna, who has exited the house for Gucci, Piccioli can be credited, in part, for bringing new relevancy to haute couture in a younger audience. Fashion’s most elitist arm, in Piccioli’s hands while he was creative director of Valentino for two decades, became a place of celebration for humanity on a broader scale. His SS22 couture collection was famously cast on a variety of models of different sizes and ages for example, while he was one of the first designers to bring men’s couture to the runway in 2021. At Balenciaga, expect a striking departure from irony-drenched shock value toward emotional resonance, painterly opulence and a reawakening of the house’s couture roots. While Demna built a dystopian, digitally fluent vision of Balenciaga, Piccioli is likely to steer it into a realm of lyrical elegance – still architectural, still bold, but softened by his signature humanism.
Then, charged with revitalising the house’s ready-to-wear division, Duran Lantink’s Jean Paul Gaultier debut is chocking-up to be a seismic, rule-breaking shake-up. Set for 4:30pm on October 5, the Dutch designer will take his first official bow as the brand’s new creative director, breathing fresh life into a dormant RTW line that’s been on pause since 2014.
Duran’s debut marks the first time a designer has helmed the house since Gaultier himself stepped back from the design table in 2020. In the seasons since, the house has called upon various guest designers to lend their singular design languages to Gaultier’s couture collections – from Haider Ackermann to Glenn Martens, Simone Rocha and Ludovic de Saint Sernin – each reinterpreting the brand’s iconic codes in their own way.
Now, it’s Lantink’s turn to take the reins full-time. Known for his radical play on volume and upcycled luxury, the designer has made a name with sculptural silhouettes and a commitment to disruption. Expect a riot of provocation, innovation and audacity – in other words, a true new-age enfant terrible moment.
Perhaps the biggest, most anticipated change-up of the season comes by way of Chanel, where Matthieu Blazy has bagged the biggest gig in the fashion sphere, becoming artistic director of the storied house. Taking the reins from Virginie Viard, Blazy steps into an extraordinary lineage as only the fourth designer to lead the maison after Gabrielle Chanel, Karl Lagerfeld and Viard herself. The French-Belgian designer is expected to bring a refined yet radical evolution to the house, infusing it with the technical prowess and craft-first vision that made his work at Bottega Veneta so revered.
Showing at 8pm on October 6, Blazy’s debut will mark the dawn of a new Chanel era. Known for transforming simple silhouettes into feats of exquisite artisanship – think leather jeans that looked like denim, or deceptively simple white tank tops rendered in calfskin – he is a master of elevating the everyday. With Chanel’s world-class ateliers and heritage at his fingertips, expectations couldn’t be higher.
Following the ready-to-wear show, Blazy is gearing up for a blockbuster Métiers d’art presentation in New York City on December 2 – a fitting stage for a designer poised to redefine one of fashion’s most iconic houses.
The SS26 Fashion Week season is slated to keep us booked, busy and buzzing about the debuts – and we couldn’t be more excited.
Top image: Dior menswear SS26; photography by Christina Fragkou.
