Jonathan Saunders quits Diane von Furstenberg

By

Sandra Halliday

Published
Dec 15, 2017

British designer Jonathan Saunders has quit as creative head of Diane von Furstenberg after little more than 18 months at the US-based brand. The departure is effective immediately.

He said he was “grateful for Diane’s support and for the opportunity of guiding this iconic brand," and that he would “continue to be a friend and admirer” of it. Meanwhile label founder Diane von Furstenberg spoke of his “beautiful work and the effort and dedication he has put into DVF,” as well as his “important and lasting heritage."

It’s big news for DVF where Saunders had overseen all product categories, as well as the look and feel of its stores, its website, its marketing and its new brand identity.

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A replacement hasn’t yet been named, despite the looming AW18 collections. It’s known that Saunders’ pre-fall 2018 collection, unveiled last month, was his last work for the label.

Despite a short stay at the label, Saunders has made a major impact there, but his future there could have been in question after news that von Furstenberg was looking to sell a stake in the business and possibly close some stores.

She denied wanting to sell the company outright but had said she would hire an investment banking firm that specialises in acquisitions.

It’s unclear what Saunders, known as a print specialist will do next. He closed his own label back in 2015.