Kris Van Assche named artistic director of Berluti

It’s been a busy year for the LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton SE group (LVMH) as it has been engaged in a complicated game of musical chairs with its menswear labels, and it seems as if Van Assche’s new appointment after his departure from Dior Homme might signal the game’s end.

“I have always wanted to build bridges between the savoir-faire, the heritage of a house and my clear-cut contemporary vision,” said Van Assche in a statement released Tuesday morning. “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. I would also like to thank Mr Bernard Arnault for his renewed confidence. ”

The Belgian designer Van Assche is in at Berluti and will present his first collection in January 2019 during men’s fashion week.

Initiated by Kim Jones’ switch from menswear artistic director at Louis Vuitton to that of Dior Homme, this whirlwind of change has seen Haider Ackermann step down from his post at Berluti to make room for the Belgian after only 18 months, despite strong brand growth brought by the Colombian-born French designer’s minimalistic and sophisticated aesthetic.

In similar fashion, friend of Jones’ and Off-White founder Virgil Abloh was recently named menswear artistic director at Louis Vuitton, making him one of the only black designers to head a historic French house.

His ability to seamlessly blend luxury fashion and streetwear has made him a household name in a market driven by millenial tastes and no doubt LVMH are looking to tap into his panache after having said goodbye to a gifted and far-seeing director like Jones, responsible in his own right for the wildly popular Louis Vuitton collaboration with cult American streetwear label Supreme.