Meryll Rogge Is The New Creative Director Of Marni

Belgian designer Meryll Rogge is the new creative director of Marni, parent company Only The Brave (OTB) announced today. She succeeds outgoing creative director Francesco Risso, who exited the label in June after almost 10 years at the helm.

“It is a great pleasure to welcome Meryll to Marni,” says brand CEO Stefano Rosso. “She is an exceptional creative talent and an inspiring woman, whose vision and expertise will play a key role in shaping the future of this amazing brand.”

“We met many highly qualified candidates, confirming how Marni continues to inspire and attract creatives from around the world. Meryll impressed us with the sensitivity she brought to reinterpreting the brand’s DNA, offering a contemporary vision that embraces Marni globally and across all its dimensions – including accessories, interior design, communication and special projects,” adds OTB founder and chairman Renzo Rosso. “I wish her the best in carrying this vision forward with passion, supported by a team and a group that have always placed creativity at the core of their identity.”

Rogge launched her eponymous womenswear brand in 2020 and has attracted considerable attention for her upcycled, reconstructed garments, often inspired by specific time periods or locations, from Salvador Dali’s hometown to Americana fashion in the ’80s.

After graduating from Antwerp Academy, she cut her teeth as a womenswear designer for Marc Jacobs in New York (2008 to 2015) before moving back to Belgium to become head of womenswear design at Dries Van Noten, working side by side with Dries. Since striking out on her own, Rogge won the 2025 Andam prize, and was named a finalist for the LVMH Prize (2022), the Andam Prize (2024) and the Woolmark Prize (2025). She’s a proponent of bold colours, prints and constructions, and works with a focus on wearability. “We’re at the moment a team of only women, and we wear our clothes every day,” the designer told Vogue’s Laird Borelli-Persson ahead of the autumn/winter 2025 show.

Rogge’s appointment marks a total creative reshuffle at Marni’s parent company, OTB, over the last year. In March, the group appointed Simone Bellotti at Jil Sander and announced Glenn Martens as creative director at Maison Margiela, in addition to Diesel. Crucially, following the departure of Luke and Lucie Meier from Jil Sander, Rogge is now the only female creative director in the OTB stable.

Alongside her design work, Rogge is also brand savvy. She also runs a creative consultancy working with brands within Puig and LVMH on brand positioning and design. Following her departure from her full-time role at Dries Van Noten, she continued to consult for the label and helped conceive its beauty line. “I really like thinking through the eyes of another brand,” she told Vogue Business last year. “I feel like I’m good at identifying their DNA, what the brand is about. One of my talents is to combine my vision with someone else’s to create something new and fresh.” This experience could tee her up nicely to take the helm at an established label like Marni.

“I’m truly honoured to join Marni – a house I’ve long admired for its independent spirit. To take on a role defined by such visionary creative directors is both humbling and inspiring. I’m deeply grateful to Renzo and Stefano for recognising the resonance between our worlds and for entrusting me with this extraordinary opportunity. I look forward to helping shape what comes next for Marni.”

Perhaps the creative shake-up can turn the tide on post-pandemic sales challenges for OTB, which, after a strong 2023, saw a 4.4 per cent sales decline for fiscal 2024. The company doesn’t break out brand revenues, but Marni’s growth was slower than that of other OTB labels. The last time the group broke out brand growth figures, Marni grew 8 per cent in 2023, compared with 23 per cent growth at Margiela and 17 per cent at Diesel. Rosso appointed his son Stefano Rosso, chairman of Margiela, as CEO of Marni in May last year to help drive the business. Now, with new business and creative leadership, and a woman designing for women, perhaps the tide can turn.

Anna Wintour Steps Down as American Vogue Editor in Chief

It's the end of an era — kind of. During a Thursday staff meeting, Anna Wintour announced that she's stepping down from her role as American Vogue's editor-in-chief, which she's held since 1988. She will, however, continue on as chief content officer for Condé Nast and as Vogue's global editorial director. Regarding a successor for the U.S., Wintour announced the opening of a new role: head of editorial content. The idea is that this restructuring will free her up from day-to-day editing duties so that she can devote more time to each of Vogue's global markets.

As Condé Nast's chief content officer, Wintour also oversees every brand globally, including Wired, Vanity Fair, GQ, AD, Condé Nast Traveler, Glamour, Bon Appetit, Tatler, World of Interiors, Allure and more, with the exception of The New Yorker.

Wintour assumed these broader roles about four years ago, when Condé Nast reconfigured its global editorial structure by bringing together the editorial teams around the world for the first time. Since then, the publisher has replaced a number of international Vogue EICs with heads of editorial content, including in Japan, China, India, Taiwan, U.K., France, Spain, Germany, Italy and the Middle East.

Wintour is often regarded as one of the most — if not the most — influential figures in fashion, gaining a celebrity status thanks in no small part to her prevalence in pop culture, from Meryl Streep's fictional portrayal in "The Devil Wears Prada" to R.J. Cutler's documentary "The September Issue." Not to mention, her short, impeccable bob haircut and oversized sunglasses have become widely-recognized representations of her persona well beyond the fashion and publishing industries.

Wintour grew up with journalism in her blood: Her father served as the editor of the London Evening Standard from 1959 to 1976, leading Wintour to begin a career in fashion journalism at two British magazines, after which she moved to the U.S. to work at both New York and House & Garden. In 1985, Wintour returned to the U.K. to become the editor-in-chief of British Vogue, only to move back to New York in 1988 to replace Grace Mirabella as Vogue's editor-in-chief. In 2013, she took on the additional role of Condé Nast's artistic director.

Wintour is also known for her work with the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute, which was named after Wintour in 2014. She has chaired its annual Met Gala since 1995 and, according to Business Insider, her leadership has helped to raise about $186 million for the Costume Institute. This year alone, the Met Gala for the "Superfine: Tailoring Black Style" exhibit raised a record-breaking $31 million for the Costume Institute.

Wintour is a longtime supporter of the Democratic Party, having hosted top-tier fundraisers for candidates like Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, the latter of whom received Vogue's first-ever presidential endorsement in October 2016.

Condé Nast and Wintour, specifically, have previously been the subject of criticism over the company's lack of diversity and its treatment of Black and POC employees. Reports of a "toxic culture" at Bon Appétit resulted in Adam Rapoport's resignation. And in a 2020 email to staff, obtained by Page Six, Wintour admitted that "Vogue has not found enough ways to elevate and give space to Black editors, writers, photographers, designers and other creators."

While Wintour's successor has not yet been named, previous speculation includes Chioma Nnadi, who currently serves as British Vogue's head of editorial content. Whomever Condé Nast (and Wintour herself) chooses, they can rest assured that she'll be leaving some very large shoes — and sunglasses — behind to fill.

Jonathan Anderson Has Been Appointed Sole Creative Director Of Dior

“We have some very exciting news,” says Delphine Arnault, chair and CEO of Christian Dior Couture, as she sits down with Vogue Business. “Jonathan Anderson is going to be the head of creation for Dior, across men’s and women’s, couture and accessories.”

On Thursday, the house announced that Maria Grazia Chiuri would be stepping down from her position as creative director of women’s haute couture, ready-to-wear and accessories. Kim Jones left the brand in January, and Anderson was confirmed as artistic director of the men’s collections in April. “Over the last 11 years that he has been at LVMH, we have had many discussions about what he wanted to do next. And there was always one brand he was very attracted to,” says Arnault. “We think this is the right moment to make this appointment. He is the most talented designer of his generation. He has great experience within the LVMH Group and in managing large teams through his work at Loewe, even though he is only 40. More importantly, he has a very clear vision for the brand.”

Now, with a single artistic director for both womenswear and men’s, the house returns to the organisation it had in the days of Christian Dior, Arnault notes. “I think this is going to be great for the maison. There will be consistency and coherence in the products, but also in terms of communication, I think our message will be much clearer,” she says. “Of course, it’s a big responsibility, there’s a lot of connections that need to be made. For any house, having new artistic direction can be a challenge. It takes a few seasons to see exactly what the vision is. But I think he’s totally energised by the idea.”

Arnault continues: “He can rely on our great team – we have amazing studios with amazing creatives, the best in the world of haute couture, ready-to-wear, across men’s and women’s. And he’s also bringing a team of people he trusts that have been working with him for a while.”

Anderson was appointed creative director of LVMH-owned Loewe in September 2013. He was then a 29-year-old designer with a fledgling business. He created his namesake brand JW Anderson in 2008, in which LVMH took a minority stake in 2013. “I remember meeting him for the first time in a showroom in Paris, where he was showing JW Anderson. He must have been 23 or 24 years old,” Arnault reminisces. “He had rented a small apartment by Gare du Nord, on the fourth floor. I rang the door and he opened. He was younger, but the same as today: very talkative, with a great vision and very mature for his age, very impressive. That’s when we decided to invest in his brand and later to appoint him at Loewe.”

During his tenure, Loewe became one of luxury’s hottest fashion brands. His spring/summer 2025 show received a standing ovation from many of his peers (Sarah Burton, Pieter Mulier, Adrian Appiolaza, Nicolas Di Felice, Kris Van Assche, Pharrell Williams and Michael Rider, each in attendance) as well as Arnault. Loewe’s sales went from approximately €230 million in 2014, according to Morgan Stanley estimates, to between €1.5 billion and €2 billion in 2024, per estimates of Bernstein analyst Luca Solca. Loewe still ranked first in the Lyst Index of the hottest brands in the first quarter of 2025. Anderson’s exit from Loewe was announced in March, and a week later, he was replaced by Proenza Schouler founders Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez.​​

“Jonathan did a very impressive job putting Loewe back on the map,” Arnault notes. “He was able to find the right mix of tradition and modernity for that brand, working on craftsmanship, elevating the quality and creating beautiful products. He worked also on the Craft Prize and has done wonders in developing the brand not only in terms of product but in terms of communication.”

Can Anderson recreate the same magic at Dior? After years of tremendous growth – revenue went from €2.2 billion in 2017 to €9.5 billion in 2023, according to HSBC estimates – Dior has been hit by the luxury downturn and global turmoil. Sales decreased to €8.7 billion in 2024, per HSBC. In the first quarter, sales of LVMH’s fashion and leather goods division were down 5 per cent, positioning the group’s fashion business in the middle of a polarised market. “Dior has to be revived,” Solca told Vogue Business back in April.

The house now appears to have everything in place for a revival. It recently hired Pierre-Emmanuel Angeloglou as deputy CEO in April, after poaching Miu Miu CEO Benedetta Petruzzo in October to be its managing director. Both executives report to Arnault.

Anderson, who has a reputation as a hard-working and brilliant designer, surely has the ability to blend in with the Dior DNA, juggling its strong heritage and codes. “Ever since he started working on menswear back in February, he’s been spending a lot of time in the archives looking at all the different elements of the brand that the different designers at its helm over the years have developed – like Christian Dior or Yves Saint Laurent, John Galliano, Raf Simons,” Arnault says.

Besides facing the challenge of working across men’s and women’s lines, Anderson will also earn his couture stripes as Dior is among the handful of houses to have turned couture into a thriving business. And while he hasn’t been at a couture house before, Anderson is known for his conceptual shows and couture spirit, especially visible in his spring/summer 2025 show, which featured “reimagined French golden age couture dresses, all hoops and semi-sheer flower prints”, as Vogue Runway’s Sarah Mower described them. The fashion world will have to wait until January 2026 to see Anderson’s first couture designs for Dior, as the house is going to skip the couture season in July. “Maria Grazia had 20 couture dresses in her cruise show, which have kept the atelier busy,” Arnault says.

Arnault also confirmed that Anderson’s first women’s show for Dior will be during the all-important September season. “In the 25 years I’ve been working in fashion, there have never been so many creative changes,” she muses. “We will see the visions of so many different artistic directors for the industry. I think it’s going to bring up a lot of emotion and excitement. And that’s what fashion is about.” Anderson will find himself head-on with Matthieu Blazy at Chanel, alongside a number of other high-stake debuts.

Anderson’s first menswear show for Dior will be in June, as previously reported. Would Dior ever stage co-ed? “I think for the time being we’re going to keep it separate. You never know what can happen, but we don’t have any plans to reduce the number of shows,” Arnault replies. What about JW Anderson – will he be staying at the helm? “It’s his namesake brand, so obviously it is a project that is really important to him. Yes, he’s going to stay involved in JW Anderson, but maybe in a different way. I think this would be more of a question for him.”

Maria Grazia Chiuri Is Leaving Dior

It’s the end of an era. After a nine-year run as Dior’s creative director of women’s haute couture, ready-to-wear and accessories collections, Maria Grazia Chiuri is leaving the French luxury house.

“Christian Dior Couture announces that Maria Grazia Chiuri has decided to leave her position as creative director of women’s haute couture, ready-to-wear and accessories collections,” the house said in a statement on Thursday.

“I extend my warmest thanks to Maria Grazia Chiuri, who, since her arrival at Dior, has accomplished tremendous work with an inspiring feminist perspective and exceptional creativity, all imbued with the spirit of Monsieur Dior, which allowed her to design highly desirable collections,” Christian Dior couture chairman and CEO Delphine Arnault said. “She has written a key chapter in the history of Christian Dior, greatly contributing to its remarkable growth and being the first woman to lead the creation of women’s collections.”

“I would like to thank Monsieur Arnault for placing his trust in me and Delphine for her support,” Chiuri said. “I am particularly grateful for the work accomplished by my teams and the ateliers. Their talent and expertise allowed me to realise my vision of committed women’s fashion, in close dialogue with several generations of female artists. Together, we have written an impactful chapter of which I am immensely proud.”

A successor has yet to be announced. This comes after Dior appointed Jonathan Anderson as its artistic director of men’s collection in April, succeeding Kim Jones, who exited in January.

The Italian designer began her career at Fendi in 1989 as a handbag designer and moved to Valentino in 1999 as an accessories designer before being promoted to co-creative director alongside Pierpaolo Piccioli in 2008. She was appointed at Dior in 2016, becoming its first female designer since the house was founded in 1947 – she succeeded Christian Dior, Yves Saint Laurent, Marc Bohan, Gianfranco Ferré, John Galliano and Raf Simons.

Her debut collection for spring/summer 2017, inspired by fencing, featured slogan tees, which read “We should all be feminists”. That set the tone for her tenure, which consistently referenced women’s empowerment. “The message, really, is that there is not one type of woman,” she told Vogue Runway at the show. Over the years, Chiuri has collaborated with several female artists for show sets, including Judy Chicago, Faith Ringgold, Eva Jospin and Mickalene Thomas. In the Dior spring/summer 2025 show, Italian artist and competitive archer Sagg Napoli shot arrows at a target as the models did their circuit.

Chiuri also consistently drew on the archives beyond Christian Dior’s era. “Monsieur Dior only [lived] 10 years. It can’t only be about him!” she told Vogue Runway at her debut show. “In some ways, I see myself as a curator of the house.” For example, in 2018, together with CEO Pietro Beccari, who was appointed in 2017, she relaunched the Saddle Bag, one of the house’s iconic bags from the Galliano era. For autumn/winter 2024, she paid homage to Marc Bohan’s invention of the Miss Dior line, and notably the opening of a (now defunct) Miss Dior boutique in 1967, as a way to offer ready-to-wear to couture clients. “I’m very fascinated by this collection and this moment of Mr. Bohan’s history,” she told Vogue Runway. The Dior autumn/winter 2025 show had “Dior-isms”, including nods to Galliano’s Saddle bag and J’Adore Dior T-shirts and to Gianfranco Ferré’s white shirts, according to Vogue Runway.

The designer has navigated the course through the whirlwind of runway shows, including women’s ready-to-wear couture, cruise, and even pre-fall shows (such as the one in Mumbai, which highlighted the works of artisans, and most recently in Kyoto). It all translated into enormous commercial success. Dior couture sales went from €2.2 billion in 2017 to €9.5 billion in 2023, per HSBC. Dior isn’t immune to the wider luxury slowdown, though. In 2024, sales decreased to €8.7 billion, according to HSBC. And in the first quarter of 2025, sales of LVMH’s fashion and leather goods division were down 5 per cent. Dior hired Benedetta Petruzzo as managing director, who took up the role on 15 October, reporting to Delphine Arnault, and Pierre-Emmanuel Angeloglou as deputy CEO in April.

In her downtime, as a personal project, Chiuri has been restoring a historic theatre, Rome’s Teatro della Cometa. The Dior resort 2026 show, held on Tuesday, was “a heartfelt, nearly all-white celebration of Rome, her birthplace”, according to Vogue Runway. It was her last show with the house.

Pierpaolo Piccioli Has Been Named Creative Director At Balenciaga

Pierpaolo Piccioli will succeed Demna at the creative helm of Balenciaga, parent company Kering announced today.

“This is a new moment for fashion, and you can change the rules only from the inside. I think we can deliver a new image of fashion that is about assertiveness, humanity and intelligence, which is not granted very often. Balenciaga already exists in a community. I want to embrace that community and the spirit of Balenciaga, to make my own chapter in the same story,” Piccioli told Vogue Runway and Vogue Business global director Nicole Phelps earlier today.

The fashion industry has been eagerly awaiting the announcement since Demna was appointed creative director of Gucci in March 2025. Piccioli’s appointment at Balenciaga comes over a year after the Italian designer stepped down from Valentino. His appointment is effective 10 July, right after the last couture show of Demna at Balenciaga, but it’s understood that he will start working on his first collection before. The first Balenciaga collection under Piccioli’s creative direction will be unveiled in October, according to the release.

“He is one of the most talented and celebrated designers of today. His mastery of haute couture, his creative voice and his passion for savoir-faire made him the ideal choice for the house,” Francesca Bellettini, deputy CEO of Kering, said in a statement shared by the company.

Piccioli’s aesthetic is quite different from that of Demna, therefore, his appointment could be seen as signalling a potential shift in the house’s strategy. Piccioli, however, suggests continuation: “I want to embrace the past, because I feel that it’s very important to have respect for what Nicolas [Ghesquière] and Demna did before me. The story of Balenciaga is a story of designers that I respect. This is more a passing of [the] torch rather than a game of chairs, and I feel very lucky to be a part of it,” he told Phelps.

Piccioli went on to talk about feeling a connection to Cristóbal Balenciaga and his work: “I come from a very small place, as Cristóbal did, and understand that doing a job you love is a privilege.” He added, “Cristóbal was delivering himself through his job. If you think about his silhouette, his shapes – he did creativity as a culture and was always disruptive.”

The Italian designer grew up in the resort city of Nettuno, studied literature at Rome University, interned at Brunello Cucinelli and after graduation, joined the team at Fendi with Maria Grazia Chiuri. He joined Valentino in 1999 as an accessory designer alongside Chiuri. The duo were appointed co-creative directors in 2008, after Valentino retired and Alessandra Facchinetti vacated after just one year in the role. The creative pair hit a winning streak. “Their couture shows were as sublime as their rock stud shoes were clever,” wrote Phelps back when the house confirmed Chiuri’s departure. In 2016, Piccioli took on the role of sole creative director, following Chiuri’s departure for Dior. His first collection in October 2016, after Chiuri left, “revealed the unbridled romanticism and fantasy of Piccioli’s singular vision,” Hamish Bowles wrote at the time.

At Valentino, Piccioli also impressed the fashion world with his skills as a couturier, which is a major asset given Balenciaga returned to couture in 2021, as well as with his ability to modernise a heritage brand. Speaking with Luke Leitch in 2011 about how he and Chiuri approached the legacy of Valentino Garavani, Piccioli said: “We keep the language, but change the attitude.” This is a precious skill for Balenciaga, where the designer will be able to draw on founder Cristóbal Balenciaga’s rich and relatively untapped archives. In September 2024, Balenciaga’s exhibition at Kering’s headquarters, titled The Subtleties of a Dialogue, marked the first time Balenciaga’s archival creations were showcased alongside those of Demna.

There’s a bit of a Kering subplot in the appointment too: in 2012, Valentino was acquired by Qatari investment fund Mayhoola for €700 million, per Reuters. Then, in July 2023, Kering announced the acquisition of a 30 per cent share in Valentino for a cash consideration of €1.7 billion. The deal includes the option for Kering to acquire the rest of the brand by 2028. At the time of the acquisition, when Piccioli was still at the creative helm, Pinault described Valentino as “a unique Italian house that is synonymous with beauty and elegance”. Valentino’s revenues in 2024 amounted to €1.3 billion, just slightly behind Balenciaga.

Kering doesn’t break down sales of its Other Houses division, which includes Balenciaga alongside brands like Alexander McQueen and Boucheron. According to Morgan Stanley estimates, however, Balenciaga sales hit €1.66 billion in 2024 (up from €360 million in 2015, when Demna took the creative helm). The controversy around two ad campaigns released in late 2022, which were seen as being suggestive of child sexual abuse and pornography, dealt a blow to brand revenue. Then followed the global luxury downturn. But a slow recovery appears to be underway: “Balenciaga delivered robust growth in leather goods, fuelled by the success of recently launched handbags, but the house is not immune to weak traffic conditions,” Kering CFO Armelle Poulou said during the group’s first-quarter earnings call. Balenciaga recently bolstered its management: it promoted Nathalie Raynaud, who was instrumental in the success of the house’s handbags like the Rodeo, as deputy CEO. CEO Gianfranco Gianangeli took on his role in January.

He appears to be a reassuring choice, which could benefit the group, especially after investors’ initial reaction to Demna at Gucci.

His first collection for Balenciaga will be presented during Paris Fashion Week at the spring /summer 2026 shows, joining the lineup of designer debuts that includes Matthieu Blazy at Chanel, Duran Lantink at Jean Paul Gaultier, and, of course, Demna at Gucci.

“His creative vision will thrive, and he will perfectly interpret the legacy of Cristóbal Balenciaga, building on the house’s bold creativity, rich heritage and strong culture,” Gianangeli said in a statement. “With the expertise of our teams and the dynamic creative energy that has historically driven Balenciaga, I look forward to what we will build together.”

“I’m ready. I had enough rest, so I’m ready to start,” Piccioli said.

Jonathan Anderson Will Take The Helm Of Dior Men

After a successful 11-year run at Loewe, a house he exited in March, Jonathan Anderson has been appointed artistic director of Dior menswear. He succeeds Kim Jones, who stepped down in January.

The house’s brief statement on Anderson’s appointment was shared after LVMH chairman and CEO Bernard Arnault announced at the conglomerate’s annual general meeting on Thursday that Anderson would design the next Dior Men show on 27 June. ​​

​​Anderson was appointed creative director of LVMH-owned Loewe in September 2013. He was then a 29-year-old designer with a fledgling business: Anderson created his namesake brand JW Anderson in 2008, in which LVMH took a minority stake in 2013. At Loewe, he has never ceased to amaze, with standout shows, clever collaborations and buzzy campaigns.

Under his tenure, the house became one of luxury’s hottest fashion brands. His spring/summer 2025 show for Loewe received a standing ovation from many of his peers (Sarah Burton, Pieter Mulier, Adrian Appiolaza, Nicolas Di Felice, Kris Van Assche and Pharrell Williams all attended) as well as Delphine Arnault and actors. Loewe’s sales went from approximately €230 million in 2014, according to Morgan Stanley estimates, to between €1.5 billion and €2 billion in 2024, according to estimates by Bernstein analyst Luca Solca.

His exit from Loewe was announced in March. He will be replaced at the Spanish house by Proenza Schouler founders Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez.

Can he recreate the same magic at Dior Men? Like most of its peers, Dior has been impacted by the luxury downturn and global turmoil. In the first quarter, sales of LVMH’s fashion and leather goods division were down 5 per cent, with Dior slightly ahead of the division average, according to the group. Still, it remains a megabrand: Dior sales were €8.7 billion in 2024, down from €9.48 billion in 2023, according to HSBC estimates.

Anderson, who is known for his conceptual and clean collections, made for daily life — and has a reputation as a hard-working and brilliant designer — surely has the ability to blend in with the Dior DNA.

The V&A’s Fashion Wing Will Become The Burberry Gallery Following A Major Transformation

The V&A has been behind countless blockbuster fashion exhibitions over the years, from the 2015 Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty retrospective (which started life at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York), to 2024’s first-of-its-kind Gabrielle Chanel. Fashion Manifesto extravaganza. It makes sense, then, that the London museum is continuing to level up its fashion offering, by transforming its permanent Fashion Gallery at its main South Kensington site.

“Fashion has always been integral to the story of the V&A, and since the 1970s, the museum has had a rolling programme of temporary fashion exhibitions which have led the way in contemporary exhibition design and continue to be extremely popular with our visitors,” Tristram Hunt, director of the V&A, tells Vogue. “The Fashion Gallery is a much beloved space within the museum but has not been structurally updated since the 1960s. This gives us a spectacular opportunity to showcase the full range of our global collections, as well as more contemporary designers.”

From the start of May, the Fashion Gallery will undergo a period of extensive redevelopment, supported by Burberry. When it reopens in the spring of 2027, it will be renamed The Burberry Gallery, in recognition of the V&A’s partnership with the British fashion house. “As the UK’s leading fashion brand, Burberry is the perfect partner for the V&A to celebrate the richness, heritage and diversity of our fashion collections,” Hunt says.

“Burberry’s partnership with the V&A marks an incredible moment for British arts and culture,” Joshua Schulman, the brand’s CEO, adds in a statement. “It unites two centuries-old cultural icons with a shared legacy of heritage and innovation, and a commitment to championing creativity in all its forms. We are so thrilled to come together with the V&A team to celebrate the rich history of our industry and to develop an immersive space that will inspire creative minds for generations to come.”

While the Fashion Gallery may be closed until 2027, have no fear: museum-goers will still be able to get their fashion fix via the V&A’s Cartier exhibition opening in April and the Marie Antoinette Style showcase launching in September. Meanwhile, access to the V&A’s fashion collection will be available at the V&A East Storehouse, opening on 31 May, and online.