Peter Copping is stepping down as creative director of Oscar de la Renta, after two years in the role.
Copping arrived at the legendary fashion house in November 2014, after the death of the brand’s eponymous founder.
In a statement, Copping said ‘After almost two years at Oscar de la Renta, personal circumstances require me to return to Europe. I have loved my time in New York where I hope to return at some point in the future.’
Prior to joining de la Renta, British designer Copping was artistic director at Nina Ricci, having previously worked at the likes of Louis Vuitton and Sonia Rykiel.
‘We have always been in the business of creating clothes and two of our greatest assets are our design studio and atelier. Our team will continue to work on next season's collection with a keen focus on the level of sophistication and craftsmanship that are the hallmarks of our house,’ said Alex Bolen, CEO and step-son of the late founder. ‘We wish Peter well in his future endeavours.’
A replacement for Copping is yet to be announced, Business of Fashion reports that rumours are beginning to swirl around Monse’s Laura Kim and Fernando Garcia. A former studio director and senior designer at Oscar de la Renta, the pair have 18 years of combined experience at the label.
It has been a year of change for the fashion industry, with a clutch of huge names announcing departures and new appointments. 2016 has seen Maria Grazia Chiuri instated as Dior’s first female creative director, Anthony Vaccarello has replaced the outgoing Hedi Slimane at Saint Laurent and Jonathan Saunders has joined Diane von Furstenberg, while Raf Simons is widely assumed to be taking over at Calvin Klein later this year.
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