In an industry that is constantly renewing itself, Véronique Nichanian has been a haven of calm for decades. As artistic director of menswear at Hermès, she shaped the French luxury fashion house’s menswear for almost 40 years, remaining a constant as the fashion world around her changed at an increasing pace. Now she stops.
The fact that her farewell declaration comes at the end of a season that was marked by upheavals may seem casual at first glance, but it is symbolic. The spring/summer 2026 season marked a noticeable generational change with 15 designer debuts – and ended with Nichanian’s quiet withdrawal. A comparatively quiet farewell in the midst of loud departures, which highlights the stability of their decades of work all the more clearly.
Truly ‘quiet’ luxury
In her 37 years at Hermès, Nichanian shaped a language that remained relevant precisely because of its continuity. Her fashion was never an end in itself, never a mere spectacle, but a precise, quiet dialogue with everyday life and the men for whom she built a wardrobe. “Quiet Luxury” may have been a fashion term a few seasons ago, but Nichanian’s Hermès was a living embodiment of it – not in a performative way to please on social media, but through a subtle understanding of what she was creating for the brand.
Hermès remained true to this attitude for decades. This is reflected not only in the cultural but also in the economic resilience of the house. While many luxury brands are suffering from the current market conditions, Hermès is bucking the trend. In the first half of 2025, the group’s core business, leather goods and saddlery, recorded an increase in sales of 11.3 percent to 3.58 billion euros. Sales of clothing and accessories rose by 4.3 percent to 2.25 billion euros.
This is proof that quiet consistency and a clear focus on quality can endure even in an accelerating market. Nichanian’s signature was an integral part of this success – not as the sole driver, but as a stable, reliable pulse within a brand that consistently refuses to follow short-term fashions.
Their designs evolved because life changed, not because the market demanded it. This ability to slow or defy time was perhaps her and Hermès’ greatest luxury.
An era full of creative freedom
Already at the beginning of her career, Nichanian was on the threshold of a change in the fashion world. When she began studying at the École de la Chambre Syndicale in 1976, the Paris fashion scene had just begun to break down traditional ideas of femininity in clothing. In 1966, Yves Saint Laurent was the first couturier to launch a ready-to-wear line under his own name, and the legendary “Battle of Versailles” in 1971 highlighted the increasing importance of modern, sport-inspired clothing. Nevertheless, the great French houses such as Givenchy and Dior continued to dominate with their ideal of sublime elegance, which also shaped the education at the school.
After graduating from the École de la Chambre Syndicale, Nichanian moved into menswear and worked for Italian designer Nino Cerruti. There she discovered her enthusiasm for the structural clarity of men’s fashion and developed a deep understanding of fabrics and workmanship. She gained valuable experience in the studios in Milan and Paris, honing her eye for elegant casualness before she was finally contacted in 1987 by Jean-Louis Dumas, the then CEO and artistic director of Hermès. In a conversation that is unthinkable today, he is said to have assured her “full creative freedom” – an offer that she accepted and that Hermès has honored to this day.
And so, under her leadership, the brand has remained steadfast in an era of acceleration in which many vacillate between pre-fall, resort and capsule collections. Hermès stuck to two collections per year, forgoing intermediate formats and hectic reactions. Instead, the focus was on craftsmanship excellence. Nichanian did not chase trends, but based her designs on luxurious fabrics and a fine color composition, principles that consistently ran through clothing, shoes, accessories and watches.
Constant, but always moving
Still, fashion changed in the nearly four decades that Nichanian ran Hermès, and her clothes reflected that change. Not in big statements about gender and its blurring, but in subtle details. When the time required it, she began to incorporate fabrics previously considered feminine – transparency, silk, fluid draping – a discreet rewriting of codes that never relied on provocation but on evolution.
Similarly, during the Covid-19 lockdowns, she adapted the silhouettes to a looser, more casual style that suited both the brand and the clientele.
In July 2020, Hermès was one of the first brands to return to digital catwalks – without an audience, with a significantly reduced number of looks (only 18 instead of the usual around 40) and a relaxed style that was previously hardly associated with the collection once inspired by the equestrian tradition.
Their true strength was most evident in the post-Covid era, as brands sought to regain trust and redefine their journey and their customers. Nichanian never raised her metaphorical voice, but remained focused on the heart of the brand: craftsmanship.
And although the Spring/Summer 2026 collection will not be the last collection presented by Véronique Nichanian – that honor belongs to the upcoming Fall/Winter 2026 collection – it can already be understood as a brilliant farewell. A collection that once again underlines everything for which Nichanian and her time at Hermès will probably be most remembered: quiet elegance, masterful craftsmanship and the timeless combination of tradition and modern luxury.
The Spring/Summer 2026 collection relied on soft, monochrome brown tones, interspersed with subtle green accents, combined with flowing, breathable fabrics and precise tailoring. What was once again particularly impressive was the innovative processing of leather, which was made breathable for the warm season through open stitching.
In the end, Nichanian remains, just like the Hermès house to which she dedicated her professional life, a reserved but influential figure. Her presence has always been one of the quietest yet technically most impressive in the fashion world. She never placed herself at the center, but rather let her designs speak – quietly, precisely, uncompromisingly. They show her unmistakable signature: calm style, deep knowledge of materials and a fine sense of timelessness.
Nichanian didn’t just design fashion, he embodied an attitude – a quiet, enduring elegance that will endure beyond trends. In an industry that is constantly changing, she will hopefully be remembered as a calming force.