Louis Vuitton announced the extension of Nicolas Ghesquière’s contract as the artistic director of womenswear for another five years, according to a press release from the fashion house.
Ghesquière, who previously worked at Balenciaga, replaced Marc Jacobs as creative director in 2013. Since then, the designer has become one of the most celebrated in the industry, revered for his ability to look back in time and pull both references and silhouettes from eras past while also keeping an eye on contemporary inspiration. According to WWD, Ghesquière lent a hand in growing the luxury brand to $20 billion in annual sales last year. But rumors about his leaving began circulating as early as 2016 and have continued, albeit informally, among the fashion crowd.
“Y’all have been running your mouths so much about him leaving that they felt the need to announce contract renewal lmao,” fashion writer José Criales-Unzueta wrote on Instagram. Comments under the joint Instagram post from the house and the designer included celebratory remarks from Venus Williams, who wrote: “the continuation of an era,” Ava DuVernay, Gemma Chan, and Haider Ackerman all added their emoji of affection, and one seemingly confused bystander commented, “Are you married?” Shoot your shot I guess.
Nevertheless, Ghesquière shared his excitement about five more years: “It is a true honor to continue writing the story of Louis Vuitton,” he said in a press release. “We began the first chapter ten years ago, defining a new identity based on extraordinary heritage and a constant focus on innovation. In particular, I have had the privilege to harness the talent and expertise of the Maison and its teams to develop new codes.”