Hermès will soon have a new creative director for its men's lines Véronique Nichanian has left the longest and most uninterrupted creative directorship in fashion history.

In a fashion world where creative directors come and go, crises follow one another, and times grow ever tighter, Véronique Nichanian held an absolute record, namely the longest creative directorship in history. No one has ever directed a brand's creativity for longer than she has: 37 long years at the helm of Hermès menswear. And last evening, Véronique Nichanian herself announced her farewell to Hermès. After Silvia Venturini Fendi, Nichanian is the second brilliant menswear designer to step down, and now, the bets on the succession are open. Her final collection will be presented on January 24 next, for the upcoming Paris Men's Fashion Week.

Of course, the revered French brand is more famous for its accessories than for its ready-to-wear (as we will see, however, the category has become increasingly important for Hermès), but it can be said without any hesitation that over nearly four decades, Nichanian never put a foot wrong. Year after year, she brought to the runway collections that were as discreet as they were successful, without ever lowering the bar by a single millimeter. Nichanian, who is 71 years old, described this decision to Le Figaro as the culmination of a journey shared with Hermès' top executives. In the last two years, she has held discussions with CEO Axel Dumas and artistic director Pierre-Alexis Dumas, nephew and son respectively of the late Jean-Louis Dumas. «The maison granted me the freedom to choose the most appropriate moment to pass the baton», the designer declared. 

Who is Véronique Nichanian?

Hired in 1988 by Jean-Louis Dumas, one of the company's “patriarchs,” Nichanian came from Cerruti, where she had honed her skills under the guidance of the founder, Nino Cerruti. A graduate of the École de la Chambre Syndicale de la Couture Parisienne, she was one of the first women to lead a menswear division in a major luxury brand. During her very long tenure, Hermès experienced exponential growth, reaching revenues of 15.2 billion euros in 2024. In the official statement announcing her retirement from the scene, Hermès expressed deep gratitude for Nichanian's contribution, attributing much of the success of the menswear line to her. 

Nichanian has always placed at the center of her work respect for manual craftsmanship and the emotion conveyed by the garments. Her very classic approach, always spot-on, deeply intuitive, and above all never fossilized into a single formula but always vital and eclectic, allowed her to create a rare phenomenon in fashion: a series of collections that, while being children of their time, were also always relevant, never incomprehensible, never dated. A kind of cult of quality that makes Nichanian one of the great names in her category. 

Another essential point in Nichanian's career, who has operated in the upper echelons of the sector, has been her fundamental discretion, her Olympian calm, her distance from gossip, dramas, or any unpleasant situation. In this sense, the designer has been one of the most sincere and authentic embodiments and extensions of the brand that she helped shape over the decades. Truly a figure from another time, as fashion hasn't seen in some time and perhaps won't see for years.

And now who will direct Hermès menswear?

Although Hermès has not revealed details on the successor, sources from Le Figaro suggest that the choice could fall on an internal profile. Among Nichanian's long-time collaborators stands out the designer Benjamin Brett, one of her most trusted deputies. The official announcement of the successor, however, is expected in the coming days. A very smooth and thoughtful transition is anticipated, a bit like it was for Dries Van Noten in recent months. In our opinion, knowing Hermès' way of operating, the brand might prefer to avoid hiring a too-famous designer: which leads us to doubt the appointment of Kim Jones or Hedi Slimane, for example, who might seem out of tone with the climate that reigns in the maison. Obviously, however, anything can still happen.

Throughout its entire history, in fact, besides the famous (and failed) conquest war that Bernard Arnault waged on the brand over a decade ago, Hermès has thrived thanks to its stability. In the midst of every luxury crisis so far, from the 2008 one to the current one, Hermès has always continued to grow organically, at a slow and inexorable pace. Once negligible, today the ready-to-wear and accessories division represents 28% of Hermès' total revenue. Nichanian contributed to this success, preserving Hermès' core values in a group that today is much more extensive. With her retirement from the scene (we imagine the designer will enjoy a well-deserved vacation), fashion loses a pioneer who has redefined men's elegance with discretion and depth, without ever missing a single shot.