Hermès Men’s Fall-Winter 2026: Véronique Nichanian Gives A Fashionable Farewell
How does one say goodbye after 37 years? Véronique Nichanian’s titanic tenure as the artistic director of the Hermès men’s universe came to an end on Saturday evening, with the presentation of her final collection for Fall-Winter 2026.
After nearly four decades, Nichanian is in a class of her own — so there wasn’t exactly a playbook on farewell collections for designers of her stature. Since she first took over in 1988, Nichanian’s contemporaries have bounced around from house to house, brand to brand, designer to creative director, incognito consultant to artistic direction. They have come and they have gone. Nichanian has been the one constant, save for those with their own, eponymous labels. Sir Paul Smith, one such designer, was in attendance on Saturday evening, remarking before the show that Nichanian’s tenure was noteworthy not just for her longevity for the clothes she’s made: “I’ve been a fan of her work for a long time.”
As Sir Paul and the other guests took their seats, there was a sense of anticipation; the lights dimmed to black, the music started and a first model emerged into a ray of light.
The clothes were largely rendered in a darker, more sombre palette: peat, midnight blue, burnt grey, coffee, bark. It felt serious, timeless, immovable even. But then there would be a pop of sunset, a hue somewhere between pink and orange, that would imbue a look with a touch of irreverent lightness. It was analogous to Nichanian’s time at Hermès — always elegant, always beautiful, always serious — but she also always found a way to make luxury fun. There was but a single bag, the Plume, presented as a classic fourre-tout, reimagined as a boombox, and covered with removable canvas “garment bag” to add contrast and depth. The accessories were understated and less perceptible than usual, with one dazzling brooch the notable exception. It was a collection that was meant to let the clothes speak.
After 56 looks, giant screens descended from the ceiling to play back the bows Nichanian had taken after her many, many, many shows. I don’t think a single person was still seated as Nichanian emerged, receiving a roaring standing ovation inside Palais Brongniart, before guests climbed on their seats to catch a glimpse of the diminutive powerhouse as she took a post-show bow for the very last time.
It was a wonderful, beautiful moment that spoke to her legendary status in the fashion world. But all the while, I couldn’t help but feel like I wanted more. That’s not a slight on the collection, but rather a testament to what Nichanian has accomplished and the legacy she’s built. Had this been a “normal” show, I’d have left as I usually do: gushing about the collection and how Nichanian does luxury better than any other designer. Maybe, knowing this was her last show, I expected some grand, romantic gesture. A blockbuster, leviathan of a collection that just went on and on. But that’s not the way that Nichanian has ever done things. The nostalgia wasn’t palpable; there were no grandiose statements; nothing that made this show any different than the ones that came before it.
Yet, in her own subtle way, Nichanian had left the crumbs there for me to follow. Worked into the collection were pieces drawn from her 37 years at Hermès: a testament to the timelessness of the clothing. There was a lovely calfskin jumpsuit from Fall-Winter 1991, an étrivière lambskin jacket with a Brides de Gala lining originally from Spring-Summer 2002, a chalkstripe jacket first shown for Fall-Winter 2010 (and made from English flannel and lined with neoprene to give the silhouette both structure and flexibility), a hand-knitted pure cashmere sweater with a Chaîne d’ancre motif from Fall-Winter 2011 that looks hefty and stiff but is airy and soft, and a calfskin suit with topstitched pinstripes from Spring-Summer 2003.
These archival recreations, faithfully reproduced and remade for today, were interspersed with new designs, new lines, new materials, new colours. It underscored the consistency of Nichanian’s clothing at Hermès. Look at the collections as a whole, and it’s hard to tell them apart — save for the nuances: a colour used in 2014, a pattern that featured in 1998, a technique that was at the centre of a collection in 2025, a material that was highlighted in the 2000s. You know Hermès when you see it, but you don’t necessarily know when it’s from. There’s nuance in the craftsmanship and attention to detail: calfskin that’s shockingly light, rich shearling lined with crisp Toilovent, teddy-esque shearling trousers with leather and silk-lined pockets.
While the final look offered a bang — a classic Hermès single-breasted suit, with an elegant line crafted from stunning khaki mirror crocodile, the kind of extravagance permitted in one’s final collection — on the whole, the show was a reminder that not every end involves some grand dénouement. Some of my favourite films end without resolution. You don’t know the end is coming — it just happens. Sometimes things just end, not with bluster, but with a whisper. With Nichanian-esque nuance. It might not have been the end I expected, but it was perfect for the occasion.
“Exceptional, understated materials. Clothes for today and forever.” Those are the last lines from the show notes; they could have been written about any of Nichanian’s shows in the last 37 years.
Yes, it was about Nichanian’s final show, but, for her, it was still about the clothes.
It was always about the clothes for Nichanian. Today and forever.
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