The House Is Said To Be Bringing In Léa Peckre While Quietly Building Toward A Future Haute Couture Debut
Hermès is said to be continuing to assemble its creative infrastructure as it moves closer to a long-anticipated debut in haute couture, with sources indicating that French designer Léa Peckre may be joining the house.
While her official title and start date could not be confirmed, it is understood she would work under Nadège Vanhée, Artistic Director of Women’s Ready-to-Wear since 2014, suggesting a potential strengthening of the women’s design studio at a pivotal moment for the brand.
Peckre most recently completed a five-year tenure at Celine, where she served as design director of women’s ready-to-wear. Prior to that, she operated her own label, presenting several runway collections during Paris Fashion Week and establishing a distinct voice rooted in precision tailoring and sensual structure.
A graduate of Brussels’ La Cambre, Peckre first gained international recognition in 2011 when she won the top prize at the Hyères International Festival of Fashion and Photography. She later received the ANDAM First Collection Prize in 2015 and expanded her practice through collaborations, including a capsule collection for French lingerie house Maison Lejaby.
Her reported arrival comes as Hermès has been signaling a potential entry into haute couture, a project the company has been developing for more than a year. Speaking alongside the group’s fourth-quarter results last month, executive chairman Axel Dumas confirmed that the atelier is operational, though he did not specify a timeline for its official launch.
“What I saw was superb. I’m really quite excited, and I’m very proud of what the teams have done,” he said at the time. “We’ll be ready when we’ll be ready.”
The reported expansion of the design team may extend beyond womenswear. It is understood that Grace Wales Bonner, recently named the house’s next menswear creative director, is also in the process of building out her studio ahead of her debut runway show for Hermès, scheduled for January 2027.