McQueen and Calvin Klein Lose Their Designers on the Same Day, and Kim Jones Goes Solo

Two more houses lost their designers on Thursday (Oct. 15). Kering announced that Seán McGirr is leaving Alexander McQueen after three years, WWD reports, and Calvin Klein said Veronica Leoni will part ways with Calvin Klein Collection at the end of her contract, per W Magazine. McQueen says it will name new creative leadership soon. Calvin Klein says its successor will come “in due course.”

They follow Anthony Vaccarello’s exit from Saint Laurent six days earlier. WWD says Kering “seems in a mood to shake up its creative ranks,” and adds there is speculation that Balenciaga could be next.

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McQueen’s problem is money. WWD reports that Kering CEO Luca de Meo has had to cut deep after the house lost heavily by opening 135 stores and leaning on sneakers, which at one point made up 80 percent of its revenue. De Meo said he wants “a bold new direction for the house, building on its unique heritage of exceptional tailoring, uncompromising creativity and rebellion to reaffirm its position as one of the most innovative and culturally relevant voices in luxury.”

McGirr, who replaced Sarah Burton in 2023, said he was “incredibly proud of the progressive energy we cultivated as a team, anchoring our creativity in contemporary culture, and seeing it resonate with the most forthright, expressive figures across art, music, cinema, and more.” His last show was a London homecoming on Sept. 20, with a live choir and Siouxsie Sioux as guest of honor.

Leoni was the first woman to lead Calvin Klein Collection, and her February 2025 debut ended a runway hiatus that began when Raf Simons left in 2018. Calvin Klein global brand president David Savman said “Reintroducing Collection was a significant milestone for Calvin Klein, and Veronica’s exceptional talent and fresh perspective on Calvin’s iconic design codes helped build meaningful momentum for Collection.” W Magazine notes she pushed the brand toward pop culture: her September show was scored by Kid Harpoon with Solange and Laurie Anderson, and Rosalía, Teyana Taylor and Tate McRae sat in the front row. Hypebeast points out that Calvin Klein’s overall sales slipped 7% in the quarter.

The week’s counter-move came from Kim Jones. On Oct. 12 he announced his own label, KIM JONES, after leading Dior Men, Fendi’s womenswear and couture, and Louis Vuitton menswear. The first collection is for Fall/Winter 2027, mostly made in Japan with leather goods from Italy, and launches online in mid-2027. His first store opens at Central Yards in Hong Kong that October, FAD Magazine reports.

After many years working with incredible houses and collaborators, it feels like the right moment to do something under my own name again.

Kim Jones, FAD Magazine

That leaves three major houses, Saint Laurent, McQueen and Calvin Klein Collection, with a creative director’s chair to fill and no names yet. Each has promised an announcement soon.