Styling Instability: Inside Fashion's Revolving Door

In 2022, Alessandro Michele announced that he was leaving Gucci, a brand he had fronted for almost a decade. He was replaced by Sabato De Sarno in 2023. Just a few months ago, De Sarno and Gucci parted ways. And, just last week, Demna Gvasalia of Balenciaga was announced as his replacement. Donatella Versace stepped down and will be replaced by newcomer Dario Vitale. Sarah Burton left Alexander McQueen and debuted at Givenchy. Matthieu Blazy left Bottega and replaced Virginie Viard at Chanel. Kim Jones stepped down from Dior. Johnathan Anderson left Loewe. Galliano left Margiela. Casey Cadwallader was replaced at Mugler. And the list goes on and on and on.  These are just a few names in fashion's revolving door. 

A Creative Director is the highest position in a fashion house. Responsible for curating and formulating the collections, they are the public faces of the house, often becoming celebrities. Think Donatella Versace of Versace or the late Karl Lagerfeld of Chanel and Fendi. Changing a creative director can shift the entire look, feel, and even profitability of a brand. This is what makes the last 18 months in fashion so interesting. In the last two years, over 30 Creative Directors have been reshuffled in fashion houses. Dubbed fashion's ‘musical chairs’, this period has been one of intense instability, indicative of both our social and economic contexts.

Long gone are the days when fashion designers spent decades at the helm of a brand.  WWD reported that most designers appointed in the last 40 years had been in their roles for under five years. Karl Lagerfeld was at Fendi for 54 years and Chanel for 36 until his death. Donatella took up the ropes at Versace in 1997, whilst Valentino only stepped down from his brand in 2007 - 45 years after he founded it. In Contrast, Sabato de Sarno left Gucci in under two years, Peter Hawkings left Tom Ford after a year and a half, and Ludovic de Saint Sernin was only at Ann Demeulemeester for 6 months. 

What’s causing this? Well, all signs point towards the economy. The fashion industry has been marked by significant instability both within fashion houses and the companies that run them. LVMH, one of the largest luxury groups and parent company of brands such as Louis Vuitton and Dior, has announced new CEOs at Dior, Fendi, and Loro Piana. OTB has appointed new CEOs at Diesel and Jill Sander; meanwhile, Kering introduced a new CEO at Gucci in October. This signals a broader shift in the luxury landscape. There has also been widespread speculation about the Prada Group acquiring Versace from Micheal Kors’ Capri Holdings. 

Another aspect that’s driving this instability is fashion sales and the global economy. China makes up a huge percentage of global luxury sales. So when the Chinese market declines, fashion companies are left scrambling.  In 2024, sales in China reduced by around 20% - according to consultancy firm Bain and Co. With these kinds of reductions, Brands need superstar creative directors in order to drive sales and increase relevancy. That’s why when Gucci announced that it was ending its relationship with Sabato De Sarno, nobody was surprised. He had only been there for under two years, but the signs were all there. His restrained approach departed significantly from Michele's dramatic signature, resulting in a 25% drop in sales. His designs also failed to resonate with the customer base and with fashion enthusiasts who saw his quiet luxury revision as too quiet. 

Following his appointment, Kering, the group that owns Gucci and Balenciaga, reported a 45% decrease in sales - of which Gucci makes ⅔. Sabato’s replacement, renegade designer Demna, quadrupled Balenciaga’s sales in the first five years of his tenure, turning the brand into a cultural zeitgeist - a promising statistic for those at Gucci. 

Another contributing factor could be the increased pressure and workload on designers. In a typical fashion calendar, there are around 5 shows: Ready to Wear collections twice a year, couture shows, and, for some brands, resort collections. Some fashion brands even opt to show Womenswear and menswear separately. The dependence on social media and the profitability of virality means that collections often have to reach unprecedented levels of virality and cultural critical acclaim before they hit the markets. A pressure that only intensifies given the short time between each collection."

What can we expect from this latest round of reshuffles? For starters, a lot less diversity - a trend already visible on the runway. In 2020, Refinery 29 reported that 2.8% of all models that walked the SS20 shows were plus size. By SS25, this number dropped to 0.8%. This shift is reflected not only on the runway but in the boardrooms. Over the last few years, there has been a significant reduction in women in leadership at major fashion houses, with female-led brands such as McQueen by Sarah Burton and Versace by Donatella Versace replaced by male - often white successors. 1Granary reported that of the 52 fashion shows on the Autumn/Winter 2025 calendar for Milan Fashion Week, a mere 14 were founded by women, and only 17 had female creative directors. And as fashion’s power structures continue to change, this trend shows no sign of slowing down.

Courtesy of Chanel

We can also expect the runways to look very different, with several highly anticipated debuts. Some notable mentions are Vitale's rendition on Versace - the first time the house will be led by someone outside the family. Another is Demna's debut with Gucci. The brand has gone through many transformations over the last few years, from Michele's maximalism and de Sarno’s minimalism - enthusiasts are eager to see how Demna’s disruptive signature translates to a legacy House. We can also anticipate new celebrity ambassadors. The relationship that celebrities have with fashion houses is often connected to the Creative Director.  Longtime Bottega Muse Dua Lipa migrated with Blazy to Chanel with the recently launched 2025 Bag Campaigns. The same can be said of Kim Kardashian with Balenciaga and Loewe muses Taylor Russell and Josh O’Connor with Anderson’s next job. 

Its important to note that none of these changes are random. Before his departure, Jonathan Anderson had been long rumored to be leaving Loewe, after reports arose about his contract ending sometime this year. These are premeditated decisions made with shareholder value and profitability in mind. After all, nothing is fashionable about the business of fashion. 

Featured Image Courtesy of Vogue