There's been a lot of movement surrounding fashion house creative directors lately. Some openings and new hires are due to designers moving to greener pastures, while others are the result of semi-retirement. (We still aren't over bidding adieu to Dries Van Noten.) Now comes word that Phillip Lim is stepping down from the house he built with Wen Zhou.
Lim is departing 3.1 Phillip Lim effective immediately. Turns out his Spring 2025 collection during New York Fashion Week, which marked the brand's 20th anniversary, is his last for the label.
"It is with great respect and gratitude for each other and our long partnership that we have decided to part ways at 3.1 Phillip Lim," the pair expresses on Instagram. "As the brand moves into a new chapter, we are so proud of what we have built and the strength of genuine community around us. Our shared vision and hard work has allowed us to stay independent and achieve remarkable success in a constantly changing and challenging industry. From the very beginning, our goal was to create something meaningful, and along the way, we realized we could also inspire positive change, champion creativity, responsibility, and collaboration. We are incredibly proud of the impact we've made for the past 20 years and for that we will be eternally thankful."
Lim may be out, but Zhou is staying on as CEO and sole proprietor. We anxiously await news of Lim's next projects and who will take over designing his now former brand.
