Proenza Schouler designers depart in further fashion world tumult

On Wednesday, Proenza Schouler, a New York brand that was once considered the future of fashion in the city, announced that its designers, Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez, would be stepping down from the company, which they founded back in 2002. They will remain on the board and will continue to be minority shareholders. A search is underway for their replacements.

No reason was given for the decision, other than that the time simply felt “right,” and no statement was made about what the designers would do next. McCollough and Hernandez reportedly began thinking about exploring other opportunities after the company’s 20th anniversary in 2022, and their new CEO, Shira Suveyke Snyder, was brought in last October in part to manage the transition.

Still, a designer leaving a house he or she founded when it is relatively stable and they are relatively young (Hernandez and McCollough are 46) is almost unheard-of, unless there has been a falling out with a backer or the designer is planning to take another job.

It is possible McCollough and Hernandez are setting a new precedent when it comes to career paths. But they are also widely rumored to be under consideration to be the new designers of Loewe, the Spanish brand owned by LVMH, replacing Jonathan Anderson, who has been said for months to be heading to Dior. (A spokesperson declined to comment on the move.)

It should be noted that Anderson has not officially left Loewe, nor has Maria Grazia Chiuri, the creative director of Dior womenswear whom he would theoretically replace, left Dior. Also, Kim Jones, the creative director of Dior menswear, recently re-signed his contract with the brand.

LVMH, which once explored acquiring Proenza Schouler, has neither confirmed nor denied the various anonymous reports suggesting all the above, even as the rumors have spread across social media. Neither Loewe nor Proenza Schouler nor JW Anderson, Anderson’s namesake brand, are on the coming fashion show schedules in New York, Paris or London.

According to headhunters, major luxury groups are now asking that designers who take on positions at fashion houses in their group stop doing double duty with their own labels. For example, Veronica Leoni, the new designer at Calvin Klein, put her Quira collection on hold when she took the bigger job.

All of which has further fueled the speculation about who is going where.

The only thing that is certain is that despite Proenza Schouler’s being synonymous with McCollough and Hernandez, the designers intend for it to go on without them. It is not being closed or suspended, and the opening of a second store in New York in February is going ahead. (The February woman’s collection will be released digitally; the fate of a planned men’s collection is to be determined.)

What Proenza Schouler, which was named after McCollough and Hernandez’s mothers, will look like without its founders is less clear.

Other than being known for a coolly urban art gallerist vibe and a hit bag (the PS1), and despite McCollough and Hernandez’s being highly mediagenic, winning five Council of Fashion Designers of America awards and being championed by Anna Wintour, Proenza Schouler never really fulfilled the promise of becoming the Next Great American Brand.

Within the industry, the designers are still known as “the Proenza boys,” which reflects the sense that they have remained designers on the verge. Two collections shown in Paris during the couture shows were tepidly received, and the company has struggled with a revolving cast of investors. (Proenza Schouler is majority-owned by Mudrick Capital.)

The Proenza job opening now joins those at Fendi, Maison Margiela and Helmut Lang and will further reshape a fashion world in the midst of extraordinary designer change. Eight creative directors are making their debuts this year as fashion houses seek to offer something new in the face of a global slowdown in luxury spending. The dominoes are not done falling.