4 designers who moved downmarket in 2024

While a lot of attention has been paid to luxury’s shifting fortunes in 2024, less scrutiny has been given to the glowup of some of fashion’s more accessible brands.

That may change in 2025. A handful of designers with serious high-end chops have made the move to a decidedly more approachable tier. That may be a good way to bring in younger consumers, who are increasingly expecting more innovation from fashion and looking for pieces that feel luxurious regardless of price.

Here are some of the brands that have hired top-tier talent to oversee their eminently commercial lines.

Lululemon hires Jonathan Cheung

Jonathan Cheung was named global creative director of Lululemon in January following the death of Phil Dickinson, who had served as the company’s senior vice president and global creative director since 2022.

Cheung previously worked with companies including Gap, Merrell and Levi’s, but the designer cut his teeth working with Franco Moschino at the designer’s eponymous brand, where he spent more than five years as designer of Moschino Couture and Moschino Jeans, per his LinkedIn page.

He also spent time as executive head of global research at Armani Jeans and was design director at Iceberg Jeans.

Cheung oversees Lululemon’s global creative strategy and crafts the brand’s product design roadmap. He works with JJ Collier, who reports to him and previously worked with Ralph Lauren. Collier was appointed Lululemon’s vice president of design for outerwear at the same time Cheung was named to his position.

Gap hires Zac Posen

In February, designer Zac Posen made the leap from red carpet gowns and ready-to-wear runways to accept a position as executive vice president and creative director of Gap Inc. and chief creative officer of its Old Navy brand.

CEO Richard Dickson, who joined Gap in 2023, said in a release at the time that Posen would also serve as his cultural curator and creative partner. Posen also reports to Old Navy CEO Haio Barbeito and has a role in the Gap C-suite.

Three months after joining the company, Posen made waves at the Met Gala by designing a custom denim gown for actor Da’Vine Joy Randolph. Later in May, a version of a shirtdress first seen on actor Anne Hathaway sold out on Gap’s website in less than six hours.

Last week, Gap launched GapStudio, with styles designed by Posen and his New York City-based team. The line debuted with a holiday collection and the company plans to expand it in spring 2025.

Uniqlo hires Clare Waight Keller

When Uniqlo named Clare Waight Keller as its new creative director in September, Yukihiro Katsuta, the company’s head of R&D and group senior executive officer at parent company Fast Retailing, said she was “one of the few creators in the world able to achieve a high level of balance between creation and merchandising.”

Keller was previously a designer at Richemont-owned Chloé and served as artistic director at LVMH-owned Givenchy, and collaborated with Uniqlo on a womenswear project called Uniqlo: C in 2023.

The designer will continue her work on Uniqlo : C and also oversees the company’s mainline collection and menswear.

Crocs hires Steven Smith

In November, Crocs named Steven Smith head of creative innovation.

Smith started on Dec. 2 and is designing for both the Crocs and Heydude brands. He previously designed for Yeezy Reebok, Nike, Adidas and New Balance, and in its statement announcing his hire, Crocs called him “one of the most prolific designers in the footwear industry.”

During his eight-year tenure at Yeezy, Smith designed the brand’s popular Yeezy 700 model, and while he was with New Balance, he created the brand’s New Balance 550 silhouette. Online sneaker and apparel resale marketplace Goat.com called him the “godfather of the Dad Sneaker.”

In his new role, Crocs said Smith would be “introducing new silhouettes and evolving the brands’ design languages.”