Who is Léa Peckre, the designer in the running to join Hermès’ future haute couture team? Rumored to be joining the future couture team, the French designer could become one of the key faces of this new era at Hermès
Announced last autumn, Hermès’ move into haute couture marks a new chapter for the Parisian house. After long asserting its supremacy in leather goods and accessories, the maison is now continuing its rise through the realm of craftsmanship. According to statements by Axel Dumas, the first collection could be unveiled as early as 2027.
This ambition comes as part of an exceptionally strong economic momentum. In 2024, Hermès recorded a 13% increase in revenue, once again confirming its ability to defy the slowdown affecting the luxury sector. While the Birkin and Kelly continue to fuel desirability - as evidenced by the waiting lists required to obtain one - ready-to-wear has also established itself as a strategic pillar, now accounting for a third of the brand’s revenues.
To set this new creative machine in motion, Hermès already appears to be assembling a team capable of embodying the very best of French savoir-faire. This development comes at a pivotal moment for the house, just months after the announcement of Grace Wales Bonner’s appointment to lead the menswear line, succeeding Véronique Nichanian. According to information relayed by WWD this morning, Léa Peckre is said to be among the profiles being considered for this new creative venture. Her name is far from insignificant.
A graduate of La Cambre, Léa Peckre quickly established herself as one of the sharpest talents of her generation. In 2011, she won the Grand Prix at the Hyères Festival under the presidency of Raf Simons, then at Dior. Four years later, she cemented her status by receiving the ANDAM First Collections Prize, an award that has often served as a springboard for talents destined to leave a mark on the industry. Alongside these accolades, the designer honed her craft at Jean Paul Gaultier and Givenchy, notably within their haute couture departments -an experience that could now weigh heavily as Hermès builds its couture division. Since 2020, she has held the position of head designer for women’s ready-to-wear at Celine.
Throughout the 2010s, Léa Peckre also developed her eponymous label, produced in extremely limited quantities. Hers is a fashion of precision, conceived in every detail, where cut is always in dialogue with fabric. This may be precisely where her profile resonates with the DNA of Hermès. For Peckre, a garment begins not with silhouette, but with texture. In an interview with Standard Magazine, the designer summed up this approach in a phrase that reads almost like a manifesto: “material development is 70% of the work.” It is a vision that strongly echoes the house’s heritage, where textile excellence, leather craftsmanship and artisanal expertise lie at the heart of its narrative. With a first haute couture collection on the horizon, such an approach to garment construction could prove decisive.
No official confirmation has, for now, been communicated by Hermès. Still, in an industry where strategic hires often precede announcements, Léa Peckre’s profile appears to be one of the most coherent to carry this couture ambition forward.
