Véronique Nichanian steps down at Hermès after 37 years

On a cold January afternoon in Paris, the Hermès men’s show unfolded the way it often does: quietly confident, intensely crafted, and more focused on fabric and cut than on spectacle.

But when the final look passed and Véronique Nichanian stepped out, the room shifted. After 37 years shaping Hermès menswear, she took her last bow to a standing ovation.

Nichanian has been a constant in an industry that rarely allows constancy. Hermès confirmed in late 2025 that she would depart after a tenure that began in 1988, making her one of fashion’s longest-serving creative leaders. Her final runway collection was scheduled for Paris Men’s Fashion Week in January 2026—an end point that felt both planned and symbolic: a clean handover rather than a sudden break.

A career built on “quiet” decisions

If you only skim runway photos, it’s easy to miss what Nichanian actually did. Her power was never about shock. It was about editing: choosing the right leather, the right weight of wool, the right shade that looks restrained under lights but rich in real life. Year after year, she kept Hermès menswear grounded in materials and wearable elegance—seasonal updates that rarely shouted, but almost always sold.

Hermès’ own history helps explain how unusual that is. The house has long preferred continuity over drama, and Nichanian fit that philosophy. According to reporting on her early years, she joined Hermès after being recruited from Cerruti by then-CEO Jean-Louis Dumas—an origin story that matches her design language: classic menswear intelligence, refined inside a house famous for craft.

The final show: a farewell written in clothes

Her closing collection (shown in Paris on January 24, 2026) stayed true to her signature—then quietly turned reflective. Reports from the show describe silk turtlenecks, leather trousers, and shearling-lined overcoats, along with a muted palette lifted by bright accents. A standout piece widely noted: a glossy khaki crocodile-skin suit.

What made the finale feel personal was the backward glance. Nichanian revisited archival ideas on the runway, including pieces referenced from 2003 and even 1991, effectively stitching earlier decades of her work into one last statement. It wasn’t nostalgia for its own sake; it read like a designer acknowledging her own timeline—proof that the Hermès man she built could evolve without losing his core.

The audience, too, was more high-profile than usual for a brand known for understatement. Reuters and AP both noted a notably starry front row (including musicians and actors), adding to the sense that this wasn’t “just another Hermès men’s show.”

Why she’s leaving — and what happens next

When Hermès announced her departure, coverage pointed to the rising demands of the role and Nichanian’s desire to focus on other pursuits as part of the decision, framed as something considered rather than abrupt.

The succession is equally deliberate. Hermès named British designer Grace Wales Bonner as her successor in October 2025, with reporting describing the appointment as a significant generational shift. Reuters and AP report her debut Hermès menswear collection is scheduled for the next January after Nichanian’s final show (i.e., January 2027).

AP also reported that Nichanian is expected to continue working with Hermès on men’s accessories and silk—suggesting Hermès isn’t cutting ties with the designer who helped define its modern menswear identity.

A wider luxury reshuffle — but a very Hermès ending

Nichanian’s exit lands amid a broader reshuffling of creative directors across European luxury, a churn widely discussed across the industry in 2025–2026.

Still, her departure doesn’t feel like a crisis story. It feels like an Hermès story: a long tenure, an orderly transition, and a final moment built on craft rather than noise.

And that might be the most factual summary of Nichanian’s legacy: she proved that in luxury menswear, power can look like restraint—repeated, perfected, and sustained for nearly four decades.