With so many top-level shakeups at major fashion houses, we’ve come to expect the unexpected and we’re pretty sure no one could have predicted this (at least we were pretty shocked). LVMH has appointed Humberto Leon and Carol Lim, co-founders of specialty store Opening Ceremony, as the new creative directors of Kenzo, effective immediately. As in they are already in Paris piecing together some sort of a collection to present in some format this October.
This news is surprising for a variety of reasons, the first of which being that Kenzo already had a creative director, Antonio Barras, who seemed to be doing fine.
The brand, which celebrated its 40th anniversary last year, was doing well, but not everywhere, according to WWD, who reported dwindling sales in Kenzo’s traditional markets, but an increase in emerging countries like Russia and China.
Also initially surprising–that two retail store owners with no formal design training were chosen to take over the fashion house.
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