Mark Thomas exits Carven after two shows
“There’s no need to break what’s starting to work,” he said before his first show. A year later he is leaving, and the house is without a designer again.
Mark Thomas and Carven are parting ways. “Mark Thomas, design director at Carven, will be leaving the company at the end of this month to pursue other opportunities,” said the French house, part of China’s ICCF Group. “His vision and designs have helped to establish the brand’s identity and style, and have positioned Carven firmly back on the fashion stage.”
“I would like to sincerely thank every person I’ve had the pleasure of working with over the past few years for helping shape new chapters in this beautiful house,” Thomas said. “I am deeply grateful to Madame Shawna Tao and Mr. Ye for the opportunity they gave me, and I hold the utmost respect for Madame Carven, who founded this maison in 1945.”
Reviving Carven is a serious undertaking. In early 2018 the brand filed for bankruptcy and was later acquired by China’s Icicle Group, since rebranded as ICCF Group. The creative volatility runs deep: Guillaume Henry led from 2009 to 2014, followed by the duo of Alexis Martial and Adrien Caillaudaud, who exited in 2016, and the last official holder of the role before Louise Trotter was Serge Ruffieux, who left in 2018.
Thomas joined Carven in 2023, reuniting with Trotter, with whom he had worked at Joseph and Lacoste. Trotter left in December 2024 after just three seasons for Bottega Veneta, and Thomas was promoted to the top job in March 2025.
His first show, spring/summer 2026, was held on the ground floor of the maison’s headquarters and read as a continuation of the sophisticated, wearable language he and Trotter had begun to develop. “There’s no need to break what’s starting to work. We just need to build on top of that,” Thomas said before the debut. His second collection came out noticeably more assured: critics singled out the tank dresses and utilitarian coats as a contemporary match to Carolyn Bessette Kennedy’s style.
“The next steps of the house will be announced in due course this year,” the statement added. Carven’s next show will be for spring/summer 2027.