#CreativeDirectorGate is really a thing now, right? After just under 2 years at the helm of fashion house Oscar de la Renta, Peter Copping has left the brand. It was officially announced on Wednesday evening.
Credit: Pinterest
Credit: Annie Leibovitz
Peter Copping succeeded Oscar de la Renta at his namesake, family-run couture brand after the designer died in 2014 and Oscar had picked Mr Copping himself. Following on from his initial collections, latest ones had been faced with an increasing decline in expected momentum since his appointment as Creative Director and he hadn’t lived up to the standards that Oscar de la Renta had instilled in the brand, which you can imagine would be a task in itself.
However, Peter Copping stated his departure was not due to these circulating comments, but because of other circumstances.“After almost two years at Oscar de la Renta, personal circumstances require me to return to Europe. I have loved my time in New York where I hope to return at some point in the future,” the former Creative Director said in his statement. The designer is originally from Britain and had been work-based in Paris where he was Artistic Director of Nina Ricci, all before he was at the ODLR throne. The team at the present New-York based brand are evidently disheartened to see Mr Copping go as is plain to be read in CEO Alex Bolen’s statement:
We have always been in the business of creating beautiful clothes and two of our greatest assets are our design studio and atelier. Our team will continue to work on next season’s collection with a keen focus on the level of sophistication and craftsmanship that are the hallmarks of the house. We wish Peter well in his future endeavours.
Peter Copping’s departure follows an array of designers who have, as of late, left their top positions prematurely. It is widely thought that these decisions are due to creative differences and the lack of creative control but again is mere speculation by those on the outside. In recent times, the top atelier’s in the fashion industry have been handing down 3 year contracts to their respective team in order to allow them to move freely between roles and avoid a situation like Hedi Slimane and Kering’s.
Keep up to date on our social media as we await next-in-line at Oscar de la Renta.
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