Weekly Fashion Highlights | Demna Is Gucci's New Creative Director, Sarah Burton's Givenchy Debut...

The entire month of fashion week was a whirlwind of innovative transformations, with the most striking development in the industry being Demna's appointment as the new Creative Director of Gucci. Having successfully redefined Balenciaga's image over the past decade, Demna's creative prowess is beyond question. However, transitioning from a brand with a distinct and celebrated aesthetic to a larger entity presents a formidable challenge in reshaping and adapting to Gucci's expansive identity. As the flagship brand of the Kering Group, Gucci has faced declining sales in recent years, making it imperative for Demna to turn this trend around.

With Demna at the helm, numerous brands and designers are poised to make significant moves during this transformative period in the fashion landscape. REVERSIBLE will remain vigilant in tracking the latest developments within the fashion industry for you.

Demna is Gucci's New Creative Director

After a mere 35 days of speculation, Gucci's quest for a new Creative Director has reached a thrilling conclusion: Demna has been appointed as the brand's new Artistic Director. Throughout the season, whispers circulated regarding who would take the reins following Sabato De Sarno, with a roster of esteemed candidates including Hedi Slimane and Maria Grazia Chiuri. Ultimately, the spotlight shines on Demna, who will bid farewell to Balenciaga after his final haute couture collection showcase on July 6.

At a press conference held at Kering's Paris headquarters, the newly appointed Gucci CEO, Stefano Cantino, expressed, "Demna will bring to Gucci something exceptional. His way of defining fashion today is pretty unique, and this is what Gucci deserves and needs for the future." As the creative force behind Balenciaga, Demna has cultivated a devoted global following, having redefined the iconic Parisian fashion house since his takeover in December 2015. During this transformative period, the Georgian designer has seamlessly merged his signature oversized aesthetic with Balenciaga's identity, fusing streetwear, sportswear, and high fashion to create an unprecedented influence on the fashion landscape.

This fashion month is undeniably rife with creative upheaval, and Demna's appointment heralds a wave of changes among designers and brands. The movements of prominent figures, from Jonathan Anderson to Maria Grazia Chiuri, have been shrouded in speculation, yet it is evident that both Kering and LVMH are strategically refreshing their creative leadership in pursuit of innovation and revitalization. Demna has demonstrated his capacity to author a new narrative for a brand over the past few years, but as he confronts the challenges posed by Gucci—an even larger entity grappling with recent difficulties—how he will navigate this transformation remains to be seen.

Sarah Burton's Givenchy Debut

Sarah Burton's inaugural collection for Givenchy was undeniably one of the season's most eagerly awaited shows at fashion week. As the new creative director, Burton's debut focused on the art of pattern cutting, craftsmanship, and the interplay of shape and proportion, with a pronounced emphasis on tailoring—an area where she has consistently excelled throughout her illustrious career.

Her collection came to life through a masterful blend of contrasting masculine techniques and quintessentially feminine silhouettes: broad shoulders seamlessly integrated with hourglass waists, cocoon-shaped jackets featuring bracelet-length sleeves, and expansive panels of fabric elegantly draped to create backless dresses and lace-up skirts. This aesthetic marks a bold departure from the streetwear ethos that Givenchy has embraced in recent years, as Burton reintroduces the elegance reminiscent of the house’s origins. In her quest for inspiration, she drew upon the motifs of Hubert de Givenchy, including the calico prints that graced the brand's inaugural collection in 1952. While her legacy at McQueen stands as a testament to her exceptional craftsmanship, the challenge remains: can she transcend the mindset cultivated over 25 years at McQueen to lead a brand with a distinct identity, history, and scale? This question lingers as we observe her journey at Givenchy.

Miu Miu Enters The Billion-Euro Club

Prada Group released its 2024 fiscal year performance report, showing that the company's net income increased by 17% to 5.432 billion euros; EBIT reached 1.28 billion euros, a year-on-year increase of 20.5%, achieving a double increase in profits. From the brand point of view, the core brand Prada's net sales increased by 4.2% to 3.563 billion euros. Miu Miu's sales continued to soar to 1.228 billion euros, breaking the 1 billion euro mark, an increase of 93.2% over the same period last year. From a regional perspective, Japan's net sales increased the most, reaching 45.8%, followed by the Middle East, an increase of 26%. In addition, Europe and Asia Pacific also achieved double-digit growth in net sales, 17.5% and 13.1% respectively.

Prada Group's 2024 fiscal year performance report fully demonstrated the group's strong brand strength and good development prospects. On the basis of the steady growth of the core brand Prada, Miu Miu's explosive growth has injected new vitality into the group. In the future, the Prada Group will continue to adhere to its development strategy and bring more high-quality luxury experiences to global consumers.

Balenciaga & PUMA Presents Collaboration

At Paris Fashion Week 2025, Balenciaga and PUMA jointly launched a new collaboration, which cleverly combines sports performance and avant-garde design and has become the focus of this season. In this collaboration, the two parties reinterpreted PUMA's classic Speedcat sneakers and launched the Ultrasoft Speedcat style. The shoe is made of distressed suede leather, removing excess structure to present a soft and fitting texture like a sock boot. The iconic Formstrip pattern is reproduced in a distressed style, with gold-plated Balenciaga and PUMA logos on the tongue and sides, white PUMA puma logo embroidered on the toe, and gold foil size markings on the heel.

In terms of clothing, the series combines Balenciaga's iconic tailoring with PUMA's sports genes, launching super dry cotton velvet sports suits with distressed vintage effects, faded nylon sportswear and distressed sheepskin jackets. Among them, the suede leather bathrobe coat is lined with reversed Moleton velvet, which is both luxurious and functional.

Simone Bellotti Appointed Creative Director for Jil Sander

Jil Sander recently announced that veteran designer Simone Bellotti will take on the role of the brand's new creative director. Simone Bellotti has had a distinguished career in the fashion industry, previously serving as the creative head at Bally, where he won high praise for his unique design perspective and minimalist style. Prior to that, he spent 16 years at Gucci, contributing numerous classic pieces to the brand.

Simone Bellotti's design talent extends beyond Bally and Gucci; he has also held senior positions at top brands such as Dolce & Gabbana and Bottega Veneta, accumulating rich design experience and deep industry insights. His arrival undoubtedly injects new vitality into Jil Sander. We look forward to Simone Bellotti leading Jil Sander to continue pioneering new fashion chapters and writing a new glory for the brand.

Editor: Clarance Wang, Juham Lin, Yu Yuan.