Kim Jones Steps Down From Fendi Women's, Stays at Dior Men's

After four years at the Italian fashion house.

Kim Jones is leaving his post at Fendi, where he has led womenswear and couture design for the previous four years, in an effort to “concentrate fully” on his position as menswear director at Dior, according to Business of Fashion. Fendi stated that it would announce a new creative director “in due time.”

Jones, who debuted at Dior in 2018, took on the Fendi job in 2020, when the Italian fashion house was looking to reinvigorate itself amid the onset of the COVID pandemic and in the aftermath of Karl Lagerfeld’s death the year prior. Notably, Lagerfeld designed for Fendi for over 54 years, and his groundbreaking work for the brand proved to be a tough act to follow.

Many consider Jones’ output at Dior Men’s to be stronger than his work for Fendi Women’s, an unsurprising sway when you account for Jones’ experience being predominantly in menswear. He designed for labels including Louis Vuitton and Dunhill prior to his tenure at Dior, so taking on women’s at Fendi was a new experience. Still, he managed to lift the brand with heritage-inspired codes, bold graphic plays, innovative textile experimentations and artistic collaborations.

The news comes after several noteworthy moves across fashion’s C-suites. Most recently, LVMH announced that Hedi Slimane was exiting Celine, with Michael Rider set to take his place. And before that, Sarah Burton took the top seat at Givenchy.

Furthermore, the news puts a twist on the rumors swirling about fashion creative directors’ game of musical chairs. According to Miss Tweed‘s “close sources,” Jonathan Anderson was said to be replacing Jones at Dior Men’s. Given today’s headline, perhaps Anderson will remain at LOEWE for some time longer, or maybe he’s planning a surprise move elsewhere.