On October 16, 2025, Hermès announced that Véronique Nichanian was stepping down as their creative director for menswear, a position she had held since 1988, spanning 37 years. Her final collection will be presented in January 2026 as part of the Autumn/Winter 2026 menswear shows.
Nichanian, who began her career at Cerruti under Nino Cerruti in 1976, joined Hermès in 1988 to take over their menswear line. During her nearly four decades as head of menswear, the longest tenure the industry has seen in this role, she developed a unique style that embodied luxury, timeless design, and inventiveness—yet always staying close to the brand’s rich heritage.
Her departure adds to the growing list of senior-level creatives who have left their positions, resulting in a reshuffle within the industry. The recent Spring/Summer 2026 season saw 15 creative director debuts, contributing to a fashion reset amid the overall luxury slowdown.
Luxury Resilience
Earlier this year, in July 2025, Hermès’ half-year information report stated that the group’s consolidated revenue for the first half of 2025 totalled €8 billion ($9.3 billion), representing an 8% increase at constant exchange rates and a 7% increase at current exchange rates compared to the same period in 2024. All the geographical areas recorded growth. Recurring operating income reached €3.3 billion ($3.9 billion), 41.4% of sales, up 6%.
Additionally, their report stated that sales reached €3.9 billion ($4.6 billion) in the second quarter, representing a 9% increase at constant exchange rates, an improvement over the first quarter. All the regions grew. The executive chairman of Hermès, Axel Dumas, stated that their solid first-half results across all regions reflected the strength of the Hermès model and that the company would continue to invest and recruit in order to ensure the group’s sustained success.
How Hermès Turned Tradition into Timelessness
The storied French fashion house was founded in 1837 by Thierry Hermès, who opened a leather workshop in Paris, located on 56 rue Basse du Rempart. There he made horse harnesses, fittings and bridles required for carriages—the primary mode of transport at the time. Thierry Hermès would sew by hand (with two needles), using waxed thread and a saddle stitch, a high-quality method that ensured his goods were strong and long-lasting. Initially known for its leather supplies, Hermès gradually diversified and extended into fashion, with its first collections presented in 1929.
From its inception, the brand has consistently incorporated a utilitarian dimension, successfully adapting to the evolving needs of its customers as new technologies emerged. For example, when Émile-Maurice (the founder’s grandson) travelled to Canada in 1922 and discovered a military car with an American closing system on its hood, he obtained exclusive rights to what would be universally known as the zip. In 1925, he incorporated it in a leather golf jacket he was making for Edward, Prince of Wales, and subsequently used the new mechanism on many of their bags. As Émile-Maurice Hermès once said, “What can we make with our hands that can be useful to our clients?”
The Evolution of Hermès Fashion
Like the menswear collections, the womenswear at Hermès is characterized by both simplicity and luxury. While maintaining the maison’s ethos of savoir-faire, several creative directors have taken the reins. The Belgian designer Martin Margiela worked as artistic director of women’s ready-to-wear at Hermès between 1997 and 2003. During that time, he designed 12 collections and coined the essence of classic luxury. The brilliance of Margiela’s work as creative director of Hermès womenswear lay in his understated approach, one that seamlessly blended comfort and beauty.
Jean Paul Gaultier took over the baton and held the role at the maison from 2003 to 2010. During this time, he added drama to the collections, experimenting with the brand’s classic codes, to which he had always been very loyal: its equestrian roots, the use of leather, and the technical brilliance he applied to all pieces. He stepped down after the Hermès 50th anniversary Haute Couture show at Paris Fashion Week in January 2020 and was succeeded by Christophe Lemaire, former creative director at Lacoste.
Lemaire’s work, characterized by simplicity of lines and an emphasis on functionality, was very relevant as was his focus on lasting quality versus chasing seasonal trends. Lemaire left in 2014 to return to his eponymous brand, and the French designer Nadege Vanhee-Cybulski was appointed to take the position. She had previously worked at both Maison Martin Margiela and The Row, among other notable brands, and remains the maison’s women’s creative director.
Hand in hand with the womenswear collections, Hermès’ menswear has retained a strong identity and a solid and loyal customer base. Nichanian’s latest collection, Spring/Summer 2026, was a rendition of classic tailoring in a color palette inspired by nature, featuring shades of brown, grey, pale blue, and green. The brand described it with a number of sentences including “time no longer races, it breathes, like these silhouettes, rooted and weightless” and “straight lines, sharp angles, neat contours, the material shaped, at length, into immateriality”.
The Next Chapter for Hermès
Unlike other fashion institutions, Hermès is still a family-owned business, loyal to its heritage. With Axel Dumas as executive chairman and Pierre-Alexis Dumas as its overall creative director (sixth-generation descendants of the founder of Hermès), the brand’s creative vision is strong, a reassuring fact as we await the announcement of a new head of menswear at Hermès.
As the industry speculates, Hermès remains discreet about the next appointment. In an exclusive interview with the French newspaper Le Figaro, Véronique Nichanian said, “I still love this job. However, I believe that to practice it the way I like to, it now requires more and more time—and today, I want to devote that time to other things… It’s time to pass the baton”. Le Figaro describes Nichanian’s influence on contemporary wardrobes as being on par with the stylistic revolutions led by Giorgio Armani or Hedi Slimane.
With quiet confidence and impeccable craft, she has indeed encapsulated the Hermès essence by combining elegance and comfort. Nichanian’s time as the menswear designer for Hermès will be remembered for her simplicity, understated take on luxury, and for her seamless execution—a legacy for her successor and a reminder that at Hermès, evolution is always measured, never rushed.