It seems there's more change to come in luxury fashion. Hermès has confirmed that Véronique Nichanian, the house’s longtime Artistic Director of menswear, will step down after an extraordinary 37-year tenure. Her final collection will be shown in January 2026, with a successor to be announced in the coming days.
Nichanian first joined the house in 1988, recruited by Jean-Louis Dumas, and quickly set about building the identity of Hermès menswear from the ground up. In the decades since, she has become fashion’s longest-serving creative director — a rare figure of consistency in an industry increasingly driven by change.
She spoke of her decision to French publication Le Figaro, noting that the transition had been discussed over the past two years with CEO Axel Dumas and artistic director Pierre-Alexis Dumas. “Hermès was gracious enough to let me choose the moment that felt right to step away,” she said. “Now feels like the right time to pass the baton.”
The longevity of Nichanian’s role has never translated to stagnation. “I don’t like fashion that is for fashion’s sake,” she told RUSSH earlier this year, ahead of her Winter 2025 runway in Hong Kong. “And Hermès is the perfect answer to that because we slow down time. We take the time to do things with our soul, with our love, our head. We need something to make us calm and soft and sweet and giving.”
Nichanian’s shows have always been more than fashion presentations — they’ve been studies in masculinity, sensuality, and the art of living well. Her eye for architecture, space and feeling has grounded Hermès men’s collections in a sensibility that feels timeless, but never still.
“If I wasn’t an artistic director, I’d be an architect,” she told RUSSH editor-in-chief Jess Blanch. “I enjoy the multiple expressions and the opportunity to create something unexpected... I like the oxymoron of sophisticated and simple.”
Under her direction, Hermès menswear evolved into a world of subtle luxury deep tactility. At its heart, her vision was always wearability. “That’s what people love so much about Hermès – that we bring a humanity, and an understanding that we all need time to slow down.”
With Hermès reporting €15.2 billion in revenue in 2024, the brand has grown exponentially since Nichanian first stepped into the role. And yet, for her, the house never lost its sense of intimacy. “The house has grown significantly over the years, but at its core, it remains the same. I still feel that sense of a family that placed its trust in me, though of course, it’s a much larger family now," she told Le Figaro. “I’ve always been happy here. We share the same values, in particular a deep respect for craftsmanship, which I believe is a value for the future,” she added.
As she prepares to take her final bow next January, Nichanian leaves behind a legacy not just of clothes, but of care — garments made to live in, and a vision of menswear that offers more than just style. Details of her successor have not yet been revealed.
