While nothing may ever top last year’s deluge of designer debuts, fashion’s great creative reshuffle continues into 2026 — and beyond.
Here, a recap of what are expected to be the main events:
January
While primarily known as a rapper and actor, Jaden Smith has a longstanding passion for footwear, and has assembled an extensive archive for research purposes only. “Just so that I can look at the materials, different lasts, different cuts, different internal shaping, different foot beds, different insoles, laces, shoe boxes,” he told WWD last year when he was named men’s creative director at Christian Louboutin, a new role.
He is to oversee the creation of four collections a year across shoes, leather goods and accessories, along with developing campaigns, events and immersive experiences — the first one being during men’s fashion week in Paris, scheduled for Jan. 20 to 25. Cofounder of MSFTSrep — a streetwear label he launched with sister Willow Smith and friends in 2012 — Smith has also frequently collaborated with New Balance and acted as its ambassador. He will be charged with kickstarting growth at Louboutin’s men’s division, founded 15 years ago and now representing about 24 percent of the business.
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February
Fendi is the latest European house to unite all departments under a single designer for greater consistency, naming Maria Grazia Chiuri chief creative officer. She will start with womenswear for the fall 2026 season, followed by menswear in June and couture in July. It marks a return to the Roman house for Chiuri, who kicked off her career at Fendi in 1989, helping to boost the brand’s accessories offer. She went on to codesign Valentino with Pierpaolo Piccioli and make her mark on fashion history as the first woman to lead the creation of women’s collections at Dior. She helped multiply the size of the house thanks to a mix of commercially successful product and feminist-driven storytelling.
Commenting on her appointment at the Italian brand, Bernard Arnault, chairman and chief executive officer of LVMH, said: “Maria Grazia Chiuri is one of the greatest creative talents in fashion today, and I am delighted that she has chosen to return to Fendi to continue expressing her creativity within the LVMH group.” Her passion for Italian artisanal craftsmanship and a practical approach to design are seen as a good match for the century-old house.
Since being moved over from Balenciaga to the creative helm of Gucci last July, Demna has hit the ground running, conscripting Spike Jonze and Halina Reijn to direct a quirky short film about a dysfunctional fictional fashion dynasty titled “The Tiger” and starring the likes of Demi Moore and Edward Norton, dressed in looks from his La Famiglia collection, which dropped via an online look book.
The Georgian designer staged a movie premiere, complete with a red carpet and screaming fans, in lieu of a runway debut, which now will take place during Milan Fashion Week in February and is widely considered his official debut. His initial designs and pre-fall 2026 collection have largely drawn on the Tom Ford era and the essence of “Gucciness,” zhuzhed up in that bombastic Demna way. “My mission is to create a new desire for a customer…and the desire can be created through identity, vision and very intelligent product design,” he told WWD recently, adding: “Because today storytelling is not enough.”
Meryll Rogge, a Belgian designer who founded her signature brand in 2020 after working for Dries Van Noten and Marc Jacobs, will make her debut as Marni‘s creative director during Milan Fashion Week. “Meryll impressed us with the sensitivity she brought to reinterpreting the brand’s DNA,” said Renzo Rosso, chairman of Marni parent OTB, noting her “contemporary vision” stretches across accessories, interior design, communication and special projects. A fashion graduate of Antwerp’s famous Royal Academy of Fine Art, Rogge snagged the Grand Prix at the 2025 ANDAM Fashion Awards, just before being named to the helm of Marni. She has also received two Belgian Fashion Awards: Emerging Talent of the Year in 2021 and Designer of the Year in 2024. Rogge said she admires Marni for its “independent spirit.” Rogge’s signature label has ended up on likes of Dua Lipa, Chloë Sevigny and Rihanna. At Marni, she succeeds Francesco Risso.
March
Another graduate of Antwerp’s famed Royal Academy of Fine Arts, Antonin Tron succeeded Olivier Rousteing at the helm of Balmain and will show his first collection for the fall 2026 fashion season. The Frenchman will dedicate himself exclusively to the French house. Tron started his career designing menswear at Louis Vuitton, followed by womenswear at Givenchy and Balenciaga, where he collaborated with a succession of its creative directors: Nicolas Ghesquière, Alexander Wang and Demna. More recently, he also worked with the design teams at Saint Laurent. He first came onto the international radar in 2016 when he founded his Atlein brand, scooping the First Collections Prize at the 2018 ANDAM awards and quickly garnered high-profile wholesale clients including Bergdorf Goodman in New York, Ikram in Chicago, The Webster in Miami, Galeries Lafayette in Paris, Boon the Shop in Seoul and Net-a-porter online. He initially earned acclaim for his draped jersey pieces and sexy dresses, more recently delving into sculptural tailoring and outerwear, too.
January 2027
Hermès is giving its new menswear creative director Grace Wales Bonner plenty of prep time before her debut show, expected in January 2027. The British designer succeeds Véronique Nichanian, fashion’s longest-serving creative director, who will stage her swan song this month after a 37-year tenure at the French house. British Jamaican Wales Bonner is a graduate of the 2014 class of Central Saint Martins, and a purveyor of cultural luxury. Her work is known for its cerebral quality and an intimate connection to history, identity and art. She reimagines classic tailoring, incorporating textured embellishments, artisanal craftsmanship and cross-cultural elements. In 2016, she won the LVMH Young Designer Prize. Soon after, she added womenswear to her collections. A sneaker collaboration with Adidas followed in 2020, and in 2023 she was the invited guest designer at the spring edition of Pitti Uomo.
