Kris Van Assche Named Artistic Director at Berluti
Kris Van Assche is joining Berluti as artistic director. His first collection will be shown at Paris Fashion Week Men’s in January 2019, giving him ample time to watch what his fellow newly appointed designers, Virgil Abloh at Louis Vuitton and Kim Jones at Dior Homme, do with their first collections this June, and what his mentor, Hedi Slimane, does with his first menswear collection for Céline in September.
“I have always wanted to build bridges between the savoir faire, the heritage of a house, and my clear-cut contemporary vision. [Berluti CEO] Antoine Arnault spoke to me of his ambitions for Berluti, and it is with great pleasure that I accept this new challenge, which fits perfectly with my own will and vision,” said Van Assche of his new role. When Van Assche stepped down from his post as artistic director of Dior Homme, a role he held for 11 years, it was widely rumored that he would remain inside LVMH. At the time of his departure, there were seemingly no menswear jobs available, with Abloh and Jones newly installed. Last week’s surprise that Haider Ackermann would be leaving Berluti after three seasons signaled to most in the fashion world that Van Assche’s appointment was imminent.
Born in Belgium, Van Assche has had a long career in menswear, starting as Slimane’s intern at Yves Saint Laurent in 1998. He continued to work with Slimane for several years, assisting as Slimane launched Dior Homme in 2000 and later returning to the brand to become its artistic director in 2007. While at Dior Homme, Van Assche enjoyed blurring the lines of the maison’s sartorial traditions with his own obsessions: Shows could begin with New Look–inspired suiting and end up with trompe l’oeil tattoo graphics or luxurious jacquards of a photo-realistic mosh pit.
“I am delighted to welcome Kris Van Assche to Berluti,” said Arnault. “I have known him for several years and have always admired his work at Dior Homme, and I am looking forward to working with him.”
Van Assche’s arrival at Berluti would seem to signal the end of the designer shake-ups at LVMH for now. Outside of the French luxury conglomerate, the question of who will assume the role of creative director at Lanvin’s womenswear operation and at Nina Ricci remains.
