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Kim Jones has announced an independent fashion label, with its first collection planned for Fall/Winter 2027 and a digital launch expected in mid-2027. The same week, Alexander McQueen confirmed Seán McGirr’s departure and Calvin Klein Collection said Veronica Leoni had stepped down; replacement creative directors have not been named.
Kim Jones has announced an independent fashion label that is scheduled to debut with a Fall/Winter 2027 collection, while Seán McGirr has left Alexander McQueen and Veronica Leoni has stepped down from Calvin Klein Collection. The moves, reported this week by Hypebeast, mark changes in leadership at two established fashion houses as Jones prepares to build a new label under his own name.
Jones’s label will operate as a standalone fashion house, following his executive roles at Dior and Fendi, according to the report. Its opening collection is planned for Fall/Winter 2027. The clothes are expected to be made primarily in Japan, while leather accessories are planned to come from Italy. The first line is scheduled to arrive digitally in mid-2027.
The report also describes plans for a flagship store at Central Yards in Hong Kong, due to open in October 2027. These are future plans, and the source material does not provide further details about ownership, staffing, pricing, distribution beyond the digital launch, or the size of the first collection.
At Alexander McQueen, parent company Kering confirmed that Seán McGirr had departed after three years as creative director. The report links his exit to a wider restructuring effort that includes staff layoffs and a reduction of the brand’s 135-store retail footprint. At Calvin Klein Collection, PVH said Veronica Leoni had concluded her tenure after four seasons. PVH appointed her in 2024 to lead the premium runway line, which had been inactive since 2018. The company said it would name a successor in due course.
Three Houses Face Creative Change
The developments show different pressures and priorities across the luxury and premium fashion market. Jones’s plan is a move from senior roles inside established companies to an independent label, with production split between Japan and Italy and a retail presence planned in Hong Kong. That structure gives the project a distinct international footprint, though its commercial scale and audience are not yet known.
For McQueen and Calvin Klein Collection, the departures leave important creative roles in flux. McQueen’s changes are taking place alongside layoffs and a smaller retail network, while Calvin Klein is maintaining its premium collection despite Leoni’s exit. The choices of replacements, and whether either house changes its creative or commercial strategy, could shape their next collections and how they position their higher-end businesses.
The news is not limited to designer appointments: it also raises practical questions for workers, suppliers and retail partners. The report gives no detail on the number of McQueen jobs affected or the stores that may close, and it does not explain whether Leoni’s departure will alter Calvin Klein Collection’s schedule. Those details matter more than speculation about what a new direction might look like.
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The Roles Behind the Departures
McGirr’s three-year period at Alexander McQueen ended as Kering began a broader structural pivot at the label. Hypebeast reports that the brand’s financial difficulties were tied to over-expansion and declining sneaker sales. That explanation is reported context rather than a detailed financial breakdown: the supplied material does not include figures for revenue, losses, or the expected savings from the restructuring.
Leoni’s appointment in 2024 was intended to revive Calvin Klein Collection’s premium runway division, which had been dormant since 2018. The source says her minimalist approach drew industry attention but did not produce commercial momentum, against a wider 7% quarterly sales decline for Calvin Klein. It does not specify the period covered by that sales figure or establish that the collection itself caused the decline.
Jones’s announcement differs from those exits: it sets out a new business rather than a change at an existing house. His label is planned to combine high-fashion, streetwear and utilitarian design. The report identifies production locations and a proposed store, but gives no collection images, product list or confirmed opening date for the digital release beyond mid-2027.
“a bold new direction for the house, building on its unique heritage of exceptional tailoring, uncompromising creativity and rebellion.”
— Luca de Meo, Kering CEO, as quoted in the Hypebeast report
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Successors and Launch Details Pending
No replacements have been identified for McGirr or Leoni in the supplied report. Kering’s account points to a new direction for McQueen, but does not say who will lead it, how many staff roles are affected, which stores are under review, or when further changes will take effect. PVH says it plans to announce a successor for Calvin Klein Collection but gives no timetable.
Jones’s label is also at an early announcement stage. The source sets out a planned Fall/Winter 2027 debut, mid-2027 digital arrival and October 2027 Hong Kong store opening, but does not state whether those dates are final. It provides no information about the label’s name beyond Jones’s own, its financial backing, prices, wholesale partners, or the design team.
The report’s commercial context also has limits. It cites a 7% quarterly sales dip for Calvin Klein without specifying the quarter or providing a comparison basis, and characterizes McQueen’s sneaker sales as declining without figures or a stated period. Those claims should not be read as a full account of either company’s performance.
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Upcoming Collections and Appointments
For Jones, the next stated milestones are the planned digital arrival of the inaugural collection in mid-2027 and a flagship opening at Central Yards in October 2027. The collection is identified as Fall/Winter 2027, but the report does not give a specific presentation date or further launch details.
At Calvin Klein Collection, PVH says it will announce a replacement for Leoni, without a timetable. Kering has described its aim for a new direction at McQueen, but the source does not report a successor or a date for one. Further announcements from both companies will clarify how the departures affect upcoming collections and the brands’ operations.
The other developments in Hypebeast’s weekly roundup include dunhill’s planned guest-designer presentation at Pitti Uomo 111 on January 14, 2027. That event is separate from the creative leadership changes, but will provide another near-term view of how established fashion houses are presenting their next collections.
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Key Questions
What is Kim Jones launching?
Jones has announced an independent label under his own name. Its first collection is planned for Fall/Winter 2027, with a digital arrival expected in mid-2027.
Where will Kim Jones’s label produce its products?
According to the report, the garments will be made primarily in Japan, while leather accessories are planned to come from Italy. No supplier or manufacturing partner is named.
Why did Seán McGirr leave Alexander McQueen?
Kering confirmed McGirr’s departure after three years, but the report does not give a specific reason for his exit. It says the move comes amid restructuring that includes staff layoffs and plans to reduce the brand’s 135-store footprint.
Who will replace Veronica Leoni at Calvin Klein Collection?
No successor has been named in the report. PVH said it would announce a replacement in due course.
Is Calvin Klein ending its premium runway collection?
The report says PVH maintains that the high-end tier remains part of its long-term strategy. Leoni’s departure alone does not establish that Calvin Klein Collection is being discontinued.
Source: rss
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