So the rumours turned out to be true with recent weeks suggesting that the successor to Luke and Lucie Meier at OTB’s Jil sander would be Simone Bellotti. On Monday, the company announced him as its new creative director with immediate effect.

Bellotti takes the creative helm following his tenure in the same role at Bally, where we’re told “he brought fresh perspective and artistic influence”. 

And he seems to have the right profile for the famously minimalist-with-a-twist label with his previous experience mixing in Italian megabrands and Antwerp cool, as well as Bally.

Raised in Milan, he moved to Antwerp and the company said he “was instantly embraced into a dynamic fold of radical creatives”. 

That’s more than mere hyperbole with his career so far spanning positions at AF Vandervorst, Gianfranco Ferré, Dolce & Gabbana, and Bottega Veneta, as well as a 16-year tenure at Gucci. 

Jil sander also said Bellotti has “developed a keen obsession for detail, interpreting archival references with innovative directions. A passion for research informs Simone’s eye, as he draws on art, photography, and music for inspiration”.

Renzo Rosso, chairman of OTB Group, added: “Simone embarks on this journey with extensive experience and a distinct talent. Over the time spent together we shared the strategic vision and mission for Jil Sander, the values of innovation and sophistication that make it an iconic and unique brand.”

OTB has owned Jil Sander since 2021 and it currently has around 70 boutiques, as well as a webstore and a presence in selected multibrand retailers.

Selfridges continues to be the launchpad of choice for many luxury brands, particularly those planning something eye-catching or out of the ordinary.

And this season, Sergio Tacchini is celebrating its SS25 collection launch at the retailer’s London flagship by wrapping its DeLorean car in black velour and a print inspired by the brand’s Slice Track Jacket.

The design blends the brand’s heritage with new designs, focusing attention the label’s “timeless aesthetic within sportswear”.

Beyond the jacket, the collection features other reimagined classics alongside Selfridges exclusive pieces, including printed shirts and cotton jackets with bold prints. 

The brand said the launch at the store (and on Selfridges’ webstore) “reinforces Sergio Tacchini’s commitment to blending retro inspiration with contemporary style”.

It’s an ongoing link between the label and the retailer and it’s not the first time Sergio Tacchini has opened a pop-up there.

Back in summer 2023, it opened a tennis-themed pop-up, dubbed Causing a Racquet. It went for a mix of tennis and Italian references with marble-effect oversized tennis rackets, tennis balls, Roman statues, and broken columns creating a ‘Roman ruins’ atmosphere.

The almost-60-year-old company, which was previously owned by American funds Twin Lakes Capital and B Riley Principal Investments, became part of the business empire of billionaire Kim Chang-Soo in summer 2022, via his South Korean clothing group F&F Holdings.

Quintessentially French label Carven has selected another Briton to be its new design director with Mark Thomas having stepped into the seat left vacant when Louis Trotter left to take the helm at Bottega Veneta in January.

Thomas, who was trained at Central Saint Martins and Ravensbourne, has been promoted from within by Icicle, the China-based parent company of Carven.

He’s been senior designer at Carven since 2023 and before that spent almost four years in a senior menswear role at another major French label, Lacoste, also working with Trotter.

He’s also been creative director at Helmut Lang, based in New York  and was head menswear designer at Joseph in the mid 2010s. Before that he was at Givenchy, and earlier in his career also worked at Neil Barrett and Burberry.

Trotter clearly thought highly of him but it’s interesting that with his strong menswear focus, he’ll be creatively directing a label best known for its womenswear.

It’s one that enjoyed a higher profile under Trotter even though she had only three seasons to reshape it before taking up with coveted Bottega Veneta role. 

Despite the absence of a creative chief, Carven showed its AW25 offer, which Thomas has largely been responsible for, in Paris this season. But the first full collection under his direct control will be for SS26 during PFW this autumn.

Carven was founded in 1945 by Marie-Louise Carven-Grog and relaunched by Henri Sebaoun who had bought it in 2008. It enjoyed a high profile under the creative control of Guillaume Henry from 2009 to 2014 but struggled later before its purchase by Icicle. The Chinese firm has invested in it and reopened on its historic address, the Champs-Elysées, in 2021.

Turnover has been growing for the business under CEO Shawna Tao but the latest year for which accounts are available (FY23) saw it with a loss of over €7 million on turnover a little over €15 million.