France’s Veronique Nichanian received a standing ovation at her final Hermes runway show on Saturday, marking the end of her 37-year tenure as chief menswear designer at the family-run luxury house. Singer Usher, rapper Travis Scott, and “Gossip Girl” actor Ed Westwick watched as Nichanian presented a nostalgia-tinged Fall-Winter 2026 collection at Paris’ historic stock market building.
“I’m feeling emotional, it’s my decision to stop and do something else”, the 71-year-old said. “It’s the right moment for me and for the house”. Her departure comes amidst a wave of leadership changes across luxury fashion, following promotions of a younger generation at Chanel, Dior and Gucci.
Nichanian, Paris-born and trained at L’Ecole de la Chambre Syndicale de la Couture Parisienne, took over Hermes menswear in 1988 with instructions from then-boss Jean-Louis Dumas to run it “like your small company”. Over decades, she transformed Hermes from a niche brand known for scarves and leather goods into a global menswear powerhouse, with sales estimated at several billion euros annually.
Her design philosophy reflects her discreet personality, prioritising quality and comfort through subtle evolution rather than flashy reinvention. Her final collection revisited designs from the 1990s and early 2000s, underlining her belief in the timelessness of Hermes clothing.
She will be succeeded by London designer Grace Wales Bonner, whose Afro-Caribbean heritage and British tailoring introduce a generational and stylistic shift. “Hermes has chosen someone who will bring not only quality, but also an image and a point of view”, said fashion journalist Marie Ottavi.
Nichanian cited the frenetic pace of fashion as a reason for stepping back. “There’s so much change, it loses something magic, the something that makes people happy”, she said, though she will remain in charge of men’s accessories and silk. Early in her career with Nino Cerruti, she noted she had to “work harder” as a woman in a “pretty macho milieu”. Her attention to small, luxurious details — like lambskin-lined pockets — has been a signature of her work.
Elsewhere at Paris Men’s Fashion Week, KidSuper founder Colm Dillane staged an eccentric show featuring Vincent Cassel in a short film, concluding with models seated at café tables. His collection included faux fur coats, patchwork bombers and patterned trenches in autumnal greens, browns and ochre. Men’s Fashion Week concludes on Sunday with Jacquemus, ahead of Haute Couture Week. — AFP
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