Hermès is reportedly preparing to welcome French designer Léa Peckre, at a time when the house has been hinting at a possible move into haute couture. The details of her role and her starting date have not yet been specified, but she is expected to work under Nadège Vanhée, artistic director of Hermès women’s ready-to-wear since 2014.

Léa Peckre has just completed five years at Celine as artistic director of women’s ready-to-wear. Earlier in her career, she developed her own label and presented several collections during Paris Fashion Week. A graduate of La Cambre in Brussels, she first gained recognition in 2011 when she won the Grand Prix at the International Festival of Fashion and Photography in Hyères. In 2015, she also received the ANDAM First Collection Prize and later collaborated with Maison Lejaby on a capsule collection.

This appointment comes as Hermès continues to keep quiet about a potential haute couture project. Executive chairman Axel Dumas recently confirmed that the atelier is operational, although no launch date has been announced.

Meanwhile, Grace Wales Bonner, the future artistic director of the house’s men’s collections, is reportedly assembling her design team ahead of her first show for Hermès, scheduled for January 2027. But it is amusing to note that none of its designers come from French schools.

FM