One year of Jonathan Anderson at Dior, LVMH sold Marc Jacobs and Alexander McQueen is in trouble
+ How to get a job in fashion without experience
Thanks for reading Inside Fashion! Subscribe to receive it each week in your inbox.
One year ago, Jonathan Anderson walked into Dior. And the entire industry has been watching him ever since.
He was named creative director of Dior Men on April 17, 2025, taking over from Kim Jones.
Then on June 2, 2025, LVMH did something it hadn’t done since Monsieur Dior himself was alive: it handed him everything. Menswear, womenswear, haute couture. One designer, one vision, one of the biggest houses in the world. The first single creative director across all divisions in nearly 80 years.
Anderson is now responsible for ten Dior collections a year, on top of six for JW Anderson and two with Uniqlo. Eighteen collections annually. The only designer doing numbers like this in recent memory was Karl Lagerfeld.
Since then, he has delivered four major Dior debuts in under twelve months. Menswear at the Invalides on June 27, 2025.
Womenswear on October 1, 2025, opened by an Adam Curtis film and a giant inverted pyramid, with reworked Bar jackets, denim minis, and the bow he’s making a brand signature.
Haute couture at the Musée Rodin on January 26, 2026 — a cyclamen-laced collection inspired by Magdalene Odundo’s ceramics.
His sophomore womenswear show in March 2026, a Fall collection that walked through the Tuileries with flouncy Bar jackets, oversized suiting, and water lily motifs.
And last night in Los Angeles, his first Cruise show at LACMA, staged among vintage Cadillacs and film noir fog, with Anya Taylor-Joy, Al Pacino, and Miley Cyrus watching from the front row.
What’s interesting for us, watching from inside fashion, isn’t just whether the clothes are good ( and btw they are). It’s the strategy. For years, the conversation in fashion has been about creative directors as auteurs — one genius, one vision, one house. Anderson is doing something different, he is not just designing Dior, he is operating Dior.
This is the part the next generation needs to internalize.
When Dior interviews you for a junior role in the studio, in merchandising, in marketing, in communications — they are no longer looking for someone who "loves fashion."
They are looking for someone who can hold all of those layers in their head at the same time, the way Anderson does. The reason he got handed the entire house is that he proved at Loewe he could think like a CEO and a designer simultaneously. Eleven years to grow that brand from €230 million to over €1 billion. That is not just an aesthetic achievement, it is a business one.
And understanding the fashion industry under this layer is what will make you a successful fashion professional.
Dior contributes roughly 14% of LVMH’s operating profit. Sales fell from €9.5 billion in 2023 to €8.7 billion in 2024 and kept sliding through 2025. HSBC is now forecasting 10% sales growth for Dior in 2026 — a “V-shaped recovery,” the key bull case inside the entire group. Anderson is not being judged on whether the clothes are beautiful. He is being judged on whether he can move a multi-billion euro brand.
So when I look at his first year, I am not asking the question other editors are asking is this the new Dior aesthetic. I am asking the question YOU guys in my community, aspiring to get into fashion, should be asking — what does it take to be the person trusted with €9 billion of someone else’s brand?
The designers being handed the keys to the biggest houses right now are the ones who can think across every function of the business. That is the shift. And it changes what you should be building toward, no matter what role you want inside this industry.
If you feel like you want to be part of this world, I’m doing a free webinar where I’ll teach you how to break into fashion. Save your spot here!
What (else) happened in the industry this week?
LVMH sold Marc Jacobs
On May 14, 2026, LVMH announced it had sold the Marc Jacobs brand to WHP Global and G-III Apparel Group for $850 million. WHP and G-III are splitting the deal 50/50, each putting up $425 million.
Marc Jacobs himself is staying on as creative director.
LVMH had held a majority stake — 80% — since 1997, the same year Marc Jacobs became the first-ever creative director of Louis Vuitton. The relationship lasted nearly thirty years.
A few things to know about the buyers. WHP Global is not a luxury house. It is a brand management company. Its portfolio includes Vera Wang, Rag & Bone, G-Star, Express, Lotto, and Toys ‘R’ Us. The business model is licensing — they own the trademark, they license it out to manufacturers and retailers, they collect royalties. G-III is an apparel manufacturer that produces Donna Karan, Karl Lagerfeld, and licensed product for Calvin Klein and Tommy Hilfiger. Together, they will run Marc Jacobs as a licensing-driven brand, not as a heritage luxury house.
Marc Jacobs as a brand does roughly €600 million a year. Profitable. Healthy. But inside LVMH Dior is at €8.7 billion and Louis Vuitton at over €20 billion.
Kering announced layoffs at Alexander McQueen — and Italian unions are striking
If you read the Marc Jacobs story and thought it might be a one-off, here is the second half of the same picture.
On the other side of the luxury industry, Kering — the group that owns Gucci, Saint Laurent, Bottega Veneta, Balenciaga, and Alexander McQueen — is going through its own restructuring. The new CEO, Luca de Meo, took over last year and immediately put the group’s smaller brands under review. He has now publicly told McQueen, Brioni, Ginori 1735, and Pomellato that they have two years to return to profitability. His exact words: “To be a luxury brand, you need to make money. Otherwise, I eject them from the system.”
The first cuts are already happening. Alexander McQueen announced 54 layoffs in Italy, out of 181 total employees. That is nearly one third of the brand’s workforce gone in a single round. Italian unions called a national strike across all Kering Italy companies for May 20, demanding the layoffs be withdrawn and that management actually explain the “ReconKering” reorganization plan, which has not been shared with employees.
Marc Jacobs at LVMH. Alexander McQueen at Kering. Same week. Two of the biggest luxury groups in the world are doing the same thing at the same time. They are sorting their portfolios into two piles — the brands that print money, and the brands that don’t. And they are letting go of the second pile, either by selling it (Marc Jacobs) or by cutting it until it works (McQueen).
This is no longer one company making a strategic decision. This is the industry making one.
The fashion career path you were sold five years ago assumed that mid-sized luxury brands would always be there, always hiring, always training the next generation. That assumption is being rewritten in real time. The brands that hired you out of fashion school in 2020 are not the same brands that will hire you in 2026. Some of them are being sold. Some are cutting a third of their staff. Some are being told to fix themselves in 24 months or disappear.
So when you are deciding where to apply, where to intern, where to build your career — pay attention to which brands are growing and which brands are on a list. Read the financial press, not just the runway reviews. Look at who their parent company is and whether that parent is investing in them or quietly preparing to sell them as this will affect your position somehow.
Cannes officially started and fashion already stole the spotlight
The 2026 Cannes Film Festival has officially begun and as always, the red carpet quickly became fashion’s second runway.
Among the first standout looks: Demi Moore in Gucci and jury member Ruth Negga in Jonathan Anderson’s Dior Haute Couture, a hammered green satin gown with delicate embroidery details that instantly caught everyone’s attention.
What happens when fashion becomes art?
Following the sparkle of the Met Gala, the Costume Institute officially opened its new exhibition, Costume Art.
The exhibition brings together more than 400 objects, creating conversations between fashion and art across centuries. Cristóbal Balenciaga’s sculptural creations stand next to classical sculptures, while Alexander McQueen’s visionary designs meet Flemish paintings.
Louis Vuitton announced that Cruise 2027 will be presented at The Frick Collection in New York, marking the first time the museum's galleries will host a fashion show. The partnership also launches a three-year cultural collaboration between the house and the institution.
A reminder that fashion is increasingly asking to be viewed not only as something we wear, but as something we study.
Valentino now has his own coin
Yes, you read that correctly.
To celebrate Valentino Garavani, Italy introduced an official commemorative coin available in gold and silver editions.
The coin won’t enter circulation, but its symbolic meaning is powerful. It recognizes Valentino’s contribution not only to fashion but also to Italy’s image around the world.
Probably one of the most literal ways of saying that a designer’s legacy lasts forever.
The CFDA invests in fashion's next generation
Good news for emerging talent.
The CFDA announced a record $1.5 million scholarship fund for fashion design students across the United States as it celebrates its 30th anniversary.
Partners include Carolina Herrera, PVH Foundation and Bezos Earth Fund, reinforcing a growing commitment to supporting the next generation entering the industry.
Disney enters the Formula 1 world
Disney and Formula 1 are expanding their partnership ahead of the 2026 Montreal Grand Prix.
Following capsule collections and pop-up experiences launched over the past year, the collaboration is now growing with new F1 Academy products, Disney x Formula 1 collections and additional retail launches.
Quick Fashion Updates
Thom Browne officially joins the Milan Men's Fashion Week Spring 2027 calendar.
Manolo Blahnik will receive the Sue Saunders Award for Excellence at the 2026 Cordwainers Footwear Awards.
Chanel strengthens its relationship with the art world through a new partnership with Dia Art Foundation.
Burberry returned to profitability and reported positive growth, signaling that its turnaround strategy may finally be working.
Condé Nast appointed Murray Clark as Head of Editorial Content at British GQ, where he will oversee the title's editorial vision across all platforms.
Nice Things 💖
Dior Cruise 2027
What to read this week 📕💫
You dream of working in fashion but don’t know where to start, especially because you don’t have experience?
In this article, I’ll break down exactly, step by step, how to break into fashion without experience in 2026 — even if you have no connections, no fashion degree, and no prior background in the industry.
I’ve been in the fashion industry for 10+ years now, working inside companies like Alexander McQueen, Yoox Net-a-Porter, and Kering, and now running the Glam Observer Academy, where over the past years I’ve helped thousands of students, recent graduates, and career switchers break into fashion from completely different backgrounds.
So let’s begin. Click here and read more!
What to watch this week 💫🎥
How to get a job in fashion without experience 2026 step-by-step
Fashion Profiles to follow this week
Benjamin Bruno, stylist
Murray Clark, head of editorial content GQ British
Want to break into fashion?
Explore our best-selling online fashion courses!
Break into the fashion industry course: learn step-by-step how to apply for fashion jobs and internships, build your CV, cover letter, Portfolio, LinkedIn profile, prepare for job interviews and build connections. Secure your position in fashion even if you have no experience!
Excel for Fashion Course: learn the skill that is most frequently tested during job interviews!
Forward this email to your fashion friends :)
Giada Graziano, Inside Fashion Editor in Chief and Glam Observer Founder
Giorgia Angelica Ferronato, Intern at Glam Observer
Follow us on Instagram @glamobserver
Read our website: glamobserver.com
Interested in advertising in Inside Fashion or posting a job offer to reach 40,000 fashion enthusiasts? Email us at newsletter@glamobserver.com