Jack McCollough & Lazaro Hernandez Announced Their Exit From Proenza Schouler

In 2024, John Galliano, Virginie Viard, Matthieu Blazy, and Kim Jones (to name a few) left their creative director posts at Maison Margiela, Chanel, Bottega Veneta, and Fendi, respectively. And to the dismay of fashion enthusiasts everywhere, the creative director mass exodus of 2024 is enduring in 2025. On Jan. 15, Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez confirmed they’re stepping down from Proenza Schouler, over 20 years after the co-creative directors founded the New York-based label. And according to McCollough and Hernandez, the search for their replacement (or replacements) is already underway.

Just a few hours into the workday on Wednesday, the longtime creative partners announced their departure exclusively via Vogue. “We feel fortunate to have had the opportunity to build such an extraordinary team, some of whom have been with us since day one…,” McCollough and Hernandez told Vogue. “We’re confident that we’ve been able to impart some of what fuels us creatively, and through them, Proenza Schouler will continue to evolve in a way that makes sense not only for the brand, but for the moment.”

The pair’s grand exit is slated for Jan. 31 — just two weeks before New York Fashion Week, where the brand will not present a Fall/Winter 2025 collection. However, McCollough and Hernandez will remain on the board and continue to be shareholders, as the brand’s CEO, Shira Suveyke Snyder, works to fill their spots. “We are searching for a visionary leader who can seamlessly pick up where Jack and Lazaro have left off and honor the brand codes they have developed,” Snyder told Vogue. “Our global search will accelerate now that this news has been made public. With an extraordinary atelier and a world-class studio, we expect a seamless transition as we identify a new design lead and set timelines for the future.”

McCollough and Hernandez’s new career move comes 25 years after the duo met at Parsons The New School for Design in 1999. In 2000, Hernandez found himself on a plane with Anna Wintour (casual). Mid-flight, the then-student passed a napkin to Wintour, and shared his devotion to design, as well as his admiration for the editor-in-chief’s work. Two weeks later, Hernandez received an internship offer from Michael Kors, after Wintour put in a good word with the team. By 2002, the designers founded Proenza Schouler, named after their mothers.

“We started this company out of our bedroom while still students in school, barely into our twenties. We could never have imagined all those years back the transformative road that was ahead of us,” the two told Vogue. Following Hernandez’s time at Michael Kors, and McCollough’s position at Marc Jacobs, the fresh college graduates presented their first major collection during the Fall/Winter 2003 circuit. Their critically-acclaimed debut revamped casual American staples, including “long Johns,” hoodies, and trench coats.

Once their initial collection premiered, it didn’t take long for McCollough and Hernandez to receive celebrity approval. Beyoncé, Victoria Beckham, Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, Sarah Jessica Parker, Dakota Fanning, and the Kardashians have supported the brand’s growth since the beginning. And now, their celebrity clientele is more star-studded than ever. In 2024 alone, Beyoncé, Hailey Bieber, Miley Cyrus, Bella Hadid, Demi Moore, Kendall Jenner, and Ayo Edebiri all donned Proenza Schouler at least once.

To no surprise, rumors about the team’s next era are already swirling online. Some fashion fans believe the two are headed to Loewe, to replace Jonathan Anderson, who might fill the job opening at Dior. McCollough and Hernandez have yet to confirm the gossip. “Who knows what the future holds for any of us, but after a lot of thought, we feel ready to turn the page on this chapter in our lives,” the two told Vogue. “Proenza Schouler has been the defining story of our lives until now, but we have always believed that a life well-lived should consist of multiple and diverse chapters and to date, we’ve only had one. We look forward to seeing what the future holds and will continue to dream big and be open to whatever comes our way.”

All this to say? Stay tuned to TZR for details on McCollough and Hernandez’s next chapter. And while you’re at it, keep a close eye on Loewe, too.