Another day, another fashion house reshuffle. Demna is off to Gucci. Donatella is stepping down at Versace. And that is just within a week. If keeping up with designer switch-ups used to be like following a thrilling drama, it now feels more like watching an endless game of musical chairs — except nobody ever really settles in.

The recent fashion weeks felt like a debut parade, with one new creative director after another stepping into the spotlight: Veronica Leoni took the reins at Calvin Klein, Lorenzo Serafini at Alberta Ferretti, and Haider Ackermann had Anna Wintour on her feet at Tom Ford. Sarah Burton made her entrance at Givenchy, while Dries Van Noten passed the torch to Julian Klausner — and that is just the shortlist.

The industry, in general, loves a fresh start, but when every season brings a brand-new ‘vision’, it is hard to get attached. Do these changes even matter, or are they just PR moves to keep brands in the headlines?

Not too long ago, designers had the time to shape a brand, build an identity, and leave a lasting impact — just look at Phoebe Philo’s Old Céline era, with pieces still among the most coveted finds on the resale market. Now? Blink, and they are gone —  designers barely warm their seats before setting off to another house.

In just the past couple of years, we saw Louise Trotter breathe new life into Carven in 2023, only to step down in 2024 to take over Bottega Veneta after Matthieu Blazy’s move to Chanel. And that wasn’t even the shortest stint — Ludovic de Saint Sernin left Ann Demeulemeester after just six months, while Walter Chiapponi lasted a mere four at Blumarine.

With all these rapid changes, brand aesthetics are starting to blur. Designers hop from house to house, absorbing different DNAs and carrying traces of them to their next role. It is exhausting to keep up when the next big shake-up is always just around the corner — no wonder audiences are tuning out.

Sure, some designers do leave a lasting mark. But lately, the constant cycle of appointments and departures feels less like creative evolution and more like corporate strategizing.

Fashion houses claim to be on a constant quest for a new vision, which is an ironic thing to do every couple of years. A designer steps in, talks about heritage and modernity, makes a few tweaks, and is gone before their second collection even hits stores. Meanwhile, the brand’s real money-makers such as monogrammed handbags stay exactly the same. 

At this point, are these changes truly about artistic direction, or merely about keeping the hype machine churning?

Maybe fashion should slow down and actually let designers… design? Or at least introduce a probation period before making big announcements — who knew that fashion could benefit from a little bit of HR policy? Instead of cycling through creative directors for the sake of buzz, why not give them space to build something lasting? After all, true creativity doesn’t thrive under the pressure of constant change, but flourishes when given the freedom to explore, experiment, and, dare I say, evolve.