2025 was a significant year for designers’ debuts across the fashion industry (with some arriving with more excitement and buzz than others). As major fashion houses appointed new Creative and Artistic Directors, the industry embraced a new chapter that revitalized what’s to come. Many debuts have already introduced fresh ideas into legacy maisons, with some predicting a refreshing change in the game ahead.

Here are the designers’ debuts from this year that truly caught our attention. We can’t wait to see what else these new appointments have in store for 2026.

Matthieu Blazy at CHANEL

Photos courtesy of CHANEL.

This past Paris Fashion Week, Matthieu Blazy made his debut at CHANEL at the Grand Palais. It was the most anticipated show of the Spring/Summer 2026 schedule and wrapped up the Fashion Month lineup—dare I say, leaving the best for last? The collection was presented amidst a galactic world of suspended coloured planets symbolizing a new CHANEL universe emerging. Across the pieces, Blazy modernized the traditional house codes, while emphasizing freedom and femininity. Blazy joins CHANEL as its Creative Director after a three-year run at Bottega Veneta. With large shoes to fill—following the 40-year legacy of Karl Lagerfeld—Blazy will oversee all upcoming haute couture, ready-to-wear, and accessory collections, and we’re eager to see what he creates next.

Demna at Gucci

Photos courtesy of Gucci.

Timed with Milan Fashion Week, Demna released a surprise digital lookbook as the new Artistic Director of Gucci. Although not a traditional runway debut (don’t worry, that’s coming in February 2026), it still had everyone talking. In the lookbook, titled ‘La Famiglia’, the Gucci world was divided into distinct characters, each with a corresponding archetypal outfit. There were characters like Partyboy, It-Girl, La Drama Queen and La Snob, all unveiled to showcase a shared aesthetic language. Accompanying the digital lookbook, a short film called ‘The Tiger’ also debuted, starring Demi Moore, Alex Consani, Keke Palmer, and more.

Glenn Martens at Maison Margiela

Photos courtesy of Margiela.

Following John Galliano’s footsteps, Belgian designer Glenn Martens debuted his medieval-inspired couture collection as Creative Director. Throughout the show, Martens prominently featured one of Maison Margiela’s most recognizable motifs: masks. As a signature of the Maison’s codes of anonymity, which shift the focus from faces to craftsmanship, models wore masks made from repurposed materials, so that all attention remained on the clothing. Additionally, the vertical lines and shapes of the silhouettes echo Gothic tower structures, while the statuesque forms conjure images of saintly figures seen on church facades.

Jonathan Anderson at Dior

Photos by (Left) David Sims, and (Right) Adrien Dirand.

Held at the Jardin des Tuileries, Jonathan Anderson made his womenswear debut at Dior during Paris Fashion Week’s Spring/Summer 2026 season. This highly anticipated debut received a standing ovation as Anderson explored the house’s language through a reinterpretation of its heritage by revisiting iconic archival references. With a fashion-forward sensibility, the past and the present merged in a revived take, unlocking a “daring new Dior,” as Vogue Magazine put it. Before joining Dior, Anderson served as the Creative Director of Spanish fashion house Loewe for 11 years, yet everyone’s eager for what’s next with him at Dior.

Sarah Burton at Givenchy

Photos courtesy of Givenchy.

This was British designer Sarah Burton’s first Givenchy collection as artistic director after the house went three seasons without any creative lead. Burton’s résumé is quite impressive, having joined Alexander McQueen as Head of Design in 2000 under Lee Alexander McQueen, and in May 2010 was appointed Creative Director. While the Givenchy show was intimate with a selective invite list, the collection was bursting with creativity. In her show notes, she shared that she aimed to address everything about modern women. And she successfully did that. The models cast refreshingly reflected this vision, with diversity in sizes and representation (which is somewhat of a new territory for Givenchy). We are excited to see womenswear finally designed by women for women.

Feature image courtesy of CHANEL.