Well, that didn’t take long. Only days after announcing that Christophe Lemaire would be leaving the brand to focus on his eponymous collection, Hermès announced on Thursday that Nadège Vanhee-Cybulski, most recently the head of ready-to-wear at The Row, will take over as its womenswear creative director, according to Women’s Wear Daily.
It’s not immediately clear what Vanhee-Cybulski’s appointment will mean to accessories fiends; at Hermès, more so than at most other brands, there is almost a church-and-state separation between what goes on in ready-to-wear and how decisions are made about the brand’s iconic, immensely profitable leather goods, silks and accessories. The 36-year-old Frenchwoman won’t oversee handbags, but her aesthetic will no doubt influence those who do in certain ways.
Vanhee-Cybulski has spent the bulk of her career at Maison Martin Margiela, Céline and The Row, which, as the New York Times’ Vanessa Friedman points out, gives a strong indication that Hermès is committed to pursuing the expansion of its ready-to-wear business in the most restrained and dignified of manners. Get ready for more ultra-luxurious minimalism, which is, of course, a look that translates extremely well from clothes to handbags and accessories.