Fashion CEOs are getting paid more than ever A new survey reveals a paradoxical figure on fashion industry payrolls

The year 2025 has proven to be an extremely difficult one for fashion, which finds itself crushed by socio-economic pressures on all fronts, luxury included. Nonetheless, while major companies like Burberry are forced to make staff cuts, CEOs are doing better than ever. According to a new report from WWD, out of 50 executive leaders working in the fashion sector, 25 have recorded salary increases of at least $10 million in the past year. And that's just in America. Among the brands with the best-paid CEOs, according to the publication, are David Simon of Simon Property Group, one of the largest mall owners in the country, who received an annual salary of $61 million, followed by Doug Herrington of Amazon, Doug McMillon of Walmart, and Ralph Lauren of his namesake brand, who received a compensation package worth $24.1 million. Based on last year’s data, in 2024 the 25 highest-paid CEOs in American fashion received salary increases amounting to 23.5%.

Even though CEOs bear great responsibilities, the steep salary increases they secured in the past year are hard to justify. And while it's true that they're not actually paid in dollars but in stock and option awards depending on business goals (not only their own, of course), it's certainly not the case that what they earned before wasn’t enough. Let’s return to the example of Burberry’s CEO to show how unnecessary these bonuses may be: on top of a substantial salary (almost £2.6 million, which seems small compared to the Americans), the new Burberry CEO received £380,000 for the relocation, £135,000 to find a new home, £120,000 for the move from New York, and five months of fully paid housing allowance, according to the Guardian. In a sensitive time like this, when artisans in fashion districts are on strike because they don’t feel respected, and the entire apparel and accessories market shows serious signs of collapse, where changes in creative leadership make brands’ futures even more uncertain, the news of CEO salary increases makes the luxury sector seem truly out of touch—though it’s always been that way.