EXCLUSIVE: Rochas Parts Ways With Charles de Vilmorin
PARIS — Rochas has parted ways with creative director Charles de Vilmorin after a two-year tenure.
“The Maison Rochas announces that its contract with Charles de Vilmorin has not been renewed,” the French fashion house said on Monday in a statement provided exclusively to WWD.
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The 26-year-old designer, known for his colorful paintings tinged with darkness, exited the business on March 31 following the end of his contract with Rochas parent company Interparfums SA and HIM Co SpA — High Italian Manufacturing, the company previously known as Onward Luxury Group, which produces the brand’s women’s ready-to-wear, it added.
De Vilmorin, who was named to the post less than a year after launching his fashion label in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, made his runway debut for Rochas in September 2021 with a disruptive collection that blended his signature swirly sketches with a club-kid spirit.
Subsequent collections hewed closer to the house’s heritage, with references to Hélène Rochas, the wife of founder Marcel Rochas, and its bestselling Eau de Rochas perfume. But the designer struggled to hit his stride at the house, which lacks a clear set of codes despite a history stretching back to 1925.
“We would like to thank Charles for his contribution to the legacy of Rochas. His creative vision will have a longlasting impact on the brand’s universe,” said Philippe Benacin, chief executive officer of Interparfums SA.
Rochas said it would announce its next step at a later date.
Since graduating from the Ecole de la Chambre Syndicale de la Couture Parisienne in 2019, de Vilmorin has become one of the rising stars of Paris fashion, with many comparing his precocious talent and ethereal looks to a young Yves Saint Laurent.
His debut collection in April 2020 was a line of quilted bomber jackets inspired by artist Niki de Saint Phalle. With their oversize proportions, and vibrant patterns incorporating eyes, hearts and lips, his designs felt like an antidote to pandemic gloom and were lapped up by the fashion community.
De Vilmorin was one of the finalists for the 2021 edition of the LVMH Prize for Young Designers, and was shortlisted for the ANDAM Prize the same year. His collection has also been featured on Gucci’s online concept store Vault.
He has presented several haute couture collections, mostly hand-painted pieces with signature details like leg-of-mutton sleeves. One of his Gothic black gowns was worn by Isabelle Huppert on the cover of French Vogue.
Prior to his appointment, Rochas had been without a head designer since parting ways with Alessandro Dell’Acqua, who showed his last collection for the label in February 2020. During his six-year tenure, the Italian designer updated the brand’s couture heritage with his signature mix of glamorous embellishment and graphic tailoring.
Interparfums bought the Rochas fashion and fragrance activity from Procter & Gamble Co. in 2015 for $108 million.
The deal marked a first step into fashion for the Paris-based subsidiary of Interparfums Inc. of New York, whose stable of licensed fragrance brands includes Montblanc, Boucheron, Jimmy Choo and Van Cleef & Arpels. The company also owns Lanvin’s perfume and cosmetics business.
Rochas was under the creative direction of Marco Zanini from 2008 to 2013 and Olivier Theyskens from 2002 to 2006, when the fashion line was momentarily shuttered.
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