Jonathan Saunders Joins China’s Lily as Creative Director
Click here to read the full article.
NEW YORK — It’s been almost two years since Jonathan Saunders resigned as chief creative officer of Diane von Furstenberg, and he has been laying low in the public eye, until now.
On Sunday evening, the Scottish designer was spotted sitting next to the owners of the Chinese women’s wear brand Lily during its spring 2020 fashion show, as a part of the fourth edition of the NYFW China Day initiatives.
More from WWD
Despite Trade War, Chinese Market Holds Cross-Border E-commerce Opportunities
China's Uooyaa Collaborates With Christian Lacroix on Capsule
Multiple attendants at the show confirmed that Saunders has been creative director of the Shanghai-based brand since this past spring.
He did not design the spring 2020 collection; his first collection for the brand will be the fall 2020 collection.
Founded in 2002, Lily is an affordable Chinese brand with a focus on dressing modern office women. It operates 900-plus stores in China and 70 more around the world. A dress is priced around $200 and a blazer is sold for $150.
Its parent company Orient International in one of the largest textile conglomerates in China with 67 billion renminbi, or $9.43 billion, in total assets, four publicly traded companies, 86,000 employees and 115 billion renminbi, or $16.18 billion, in annual revenue in 2018. It’s also the owner of Shanghai Fashion Week.
Saunders could not be reached for comment at press time.
Sign up for WWD's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
