Peter Do Exits Helmut Lang and Chanel Considers Matthieu Blazy in This Week's Top Fashion News

In this week’s fashion’s biggest headlines, luxury houses continue their endless churn of creative directors, while others inaugurate boutiques in new regions. Elsewhere, brands encounter unexpected conflicts, but weather them in very different spirits–some refocus on winning strategies, while others take it to battle.

Whispers hint at a potential takeover by Matthieu Blazy at Chanel, while Helmut Lang becomes the latest brand without a creative director as Peter Do steps down. Younger names in the industry show no signs of stopping growth with Lemaire continuing its Asia-focussed strategy with a Tokyo boutique and Jacquemus crossing the channel for its first London boutique. It's been made official that Tapestry and Capri's proposed merger is dead as US courts stop the brands in their tracks, and in a much different field, streetwear brand Market calls out food chain sweetgreen for a stolen idea.

Below, Hypebeast has rounded up the top fashion stories of the week so you can stay up to date on trends in the industry.

After only two years serving as creative director of Helmut Lang, Peter Do is reportedly stepping down from his role at the brand. On Wednesday, a statement was shared with multiple news outlets announcing the departure, following Helmut Lang's absence during SS25 fashion week presentations.

While Do has successfully made a name for himself in the industry through his eponymous brand, his short presence at Helmut Lang was met with mixed reviews. The critical response to his debut SS24 presentation was lukewarm at best, but seemed to be redeemed by his second collection, which was met with more enthusiasm.

In the official statement Do said “I want to express my gratitude to my Helmut Lang team, who have been integral in supporting my vision. It’s been an incredible journey to be tasked to carry on the legacy of Helmut Lang.” While Helmut Lang has not announced a successor, Do will continue to operate his growing eponymous label.

Cult streetwear brand Market and founder Mike Cherman have taken to Instagram to share allegations that salad chain sweetgreen stole a collaboration idea proposed by the Market team. The post came in response to the release of sweetgreen's collaborative capsule with Everybody.World, featuring a "Kale Camo" print originally conceptualized by Market.

Market's post includes detailed screenshots of emails with sweetgreen founder Nathaniel Ru and a pitch deck showing the early stages of the salad-inspired camouflage design. Market pitched the idea of using “the iconic silhouettes and colors of Kale and Arugula to create a custom camouflage pattern out of them for a collaborative collection spanning from printable graphics to home goods to elevated cut & sew garments.”

Until now, sweetgreen has yet to release a statement in response to the allegations.

On Friday morning WWD broke the news that Chanel would announce its new creative director by early 2025 and cited rumors that Matthieu Blazy would be taking the reigns. It's also been reported that Bottega Veneta, where Blazy holds the creative director title, has already begun the search for Blazy’s replacement.

It remains in question whether Blazy's exceptional work that arguably made Bottega Veneta among the top luxury brands of the day will translate to the iconic French house, which has struggled to attract interest in recent years. However, the designer's CV is convincing with his career beginning at Raf Simons in 2007, later becoming a head designer at Maison Margiela, then working under Phoebe Philo at Céline, and eventually becoming Bottega Veneta’s creative director in 2020 after rejoining Raf Simons at Calvin Klein for a period.

Chanel, Blazy and Bottega-owner Kering have not offered comments on the news.

No more than a month after opening its first New York City boutique, designer Simon Porte Jacquemus is already opening the first London boutique for his eponymous label.

The OMA-designed space totals 332 square feet with three separate floors–one floor dedicated to womenswear, one floor dedicated to menswear, and a special VIP salon. Like the New York boutique, the store combines design details inspired by the founder's roots in the French countryside with a diverse collection of art and furniture. The nearly fifty-piece collection includes a pair of Josef Hoffmann armchairs, Henry Laurens’ drawing of two mermaids, a small nude by Raoul Dufy and even ceramics from Astier de Villatte.

The independent label has experienced rapid growth in recent seasons, thanks to its expert marketing strategy and unique position as a newcomer in the luxury market. Late in October, it was announced that the brand is seeking minority investors to continue fueling its expansion.

A merger that would have combined Tapestry, Inc. (parent to the Coach and Kate Spade brands) and Capri Holding Ltd. (owner of Michael Kors, Versace and Jimmy Choo) has been halted by a US court citing the risk of a potential monopoly over the mid-tier luxury handbag market.

Though Tapestry previously aimed to appeal against the ruling, the two companies mutually decided to cancel the merger as the outcome of the legal proceedings would arrive following the agreement’s outside date of February 10, 2025. Comparatively, Tapestry is in a much better position than Capri's brands which could have very well benefitted from the merger. Analysts have argued that it is actually in Tapestry's best interest to hold off on the deal.

Tapestry's latest report included a forecast of more than $6.75 billion USD in revenue for the 2025 fiscal year, with Coach reporting revenue climbing 1% to $1.2 billion USD in the first fiscal quarter. Overall, Tapestry has outperformed expectations tainted by the luxury slowdown. Contrastingly, Capri's revenue dropped 16.4% in the second quarter of the 2025 fiscal year as Versace and Michael Kors’ sales fell 28.2% and 16%, respectively.

Lemaire has inaugurated its expansion to Japan opening its first flagship store in Tokyo. The contemporary French label has renovated a former 1960s-era residence with its own zen garden for the 170-square-meter boutique. Some may find it surprising that the Ebisu, Shibuya store is among only a handful of stand-alone Lemaire stores joining boutiques in its home city of Paris, and Asian cities Chengdu, China, and Seoul, South Korea.

It's clear from Lemaire's brick-and-mortar strategy that rather than vying for the busiest high streets in Western cities, the brand holds its focus on growing its presence in the Asia-Pacific region, where a burgeoning class of young luxury buyers is rising.

On the site choice for the new boutique Christophe Lemaire and Sarah-Linh Tran said “We chose this house to underscore the natural connection between our collections and a domestic atmosphere. Our pieces are crafted for everyday living and designed with the allegory of a perfectly proportioned home as a protective shelter in mind.”

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Peter Do Exits Helmut Lang and Chanel Considers Matthieu Blazy in This Week's Top Fashion News

Peter Do Exits Helmut Lang and Chanel Considers Matthieu Blazy in This Week's Top Fashion News

Peter Do Exits Helmut Lang and Chanel Considers Matthieu Blazy in This Week's Top Fashion News

Peter Do Exits Helmut Lang and Chanel Considers Matthieu Blazy in This Week's Top Fashion News

Peter Do Exits Helmut Lang and Chanel Considers Matthieu Blazy in This Week's Top Fashion News