The Impression’s Kenneth Richard Speaks with LVMH’s Sidney Toledano on Creative Shifts, Risk, and the Promise of Youthful Vision
At a time when macroeconomic winds have many in fashion lowering their sails, Sidney Toledano is leaning into the storm with confidence—and vision. From his new role as Advisor to Bernard Arnault, the longtime steward of LVMH Fashion Group is hardly slowing down. If anything, he’s pushing harder into change.
“Some see difficult times,” Toledano told The Impression’s Kenneth Richard. “I see opportunity. Opportunity to change, to evolve, and it is definitely the right time to mix it up.”
If fashion thrives on transformation, Toledano is its most clear-eyed catalyst. While many companies are retreating or treading water, LVMH is launching a new wave of creativity across its portfolio. “This week we had Jonathan Anderson debut at Dior,” he said. “Pharrell showed Louis Vuitton outside the Centre Pompidou, one of the most iconic Parisian settings. Then Nigo at Kenzo. Next week we have Michael Rider debuting at Celine, Sarah Burton coming up again for Givenchy, and Jack and Lazaro making their debut at Loewe. Lots of change. All good change.”
Dream and desire are crucial now. This is not the time to run scared.
This isn’t trend-chasing. It’s a strategic reshaping of luxury’s creative core. “It is the time to dream,” he insists. “Not the time to run scared.”
Toledano doesn’t speak in buzzwords or boardroom banalities. His language is intuitive, visceral—closer to an artist than a CFO. “They have something no marketing person, no manager, no financial guy has,” he said of the new creative leaders. “They have ideas that are young, because that is what people are looking for.”
The emotional centerpiece of our conversation was the Louis Vuitton show outside the Pompidou—a place that holds personal significance for Toledano. “I started in the early ’70s as a young engineer. I came to the Centre Pompidou as an intern for two weeks,” he recalled. “I was dreaming of my future, not imagining that one day I would be outside of it attending fashion shows.”
That location, a symbol of creative boldness and architectural innovation, became a mirror of Toledano’s own philosophy. “Pompidou was a big investment. It was disruptive. We need people taking risks, having a vision,” he said. “Visionaries have to make decisions according to their pulse—what they feel, what they think is good for the new generation.”
Some see difficult times—I see opportunity. It’s the right time to mix it up.
It’s a potent reminder that vision in fashion doesn’t belong to youth alone—it belongs to those still willing to be moved by youth. “When I say a new generation,” he said with a smile, “I include myself. Because the day I don’t dream anymore is the day you should send me away.”
If fashion is indeed entering a new chapter, Toledano makes it clear that the pen is firmly in the hands of creatives—not strategists. And LVMH, with its steady stream of bold appointments and show-stopping presentations, is giving those creatives the space to author new visions—unapologetically, instinctively, and with fire.