Henry Zankov Has a Brand New Gig: Artistic Director of Diane Von Furstenberg

Reported by Vogue.

There's a particular kind of brand resurrection that feels earned, and DVF's latest chapter might actually be one of them. Henry Zankov has been appointed Artistic Director of Diane Von Furstenberg — a newly created role — stepping in as CEO Graziano di Boni works to rebuild the business from the inside out. The move comes after di Boni pulled DVF back in-house in 2025, ending a four-year licensing arrangement with Chinese company Glamel. According to Vogue, di Boni called Zankov a source of "fresh energy" and "cultural relevance for a new generation."

This isn't a cold call hire. Zankov first came up at DVF when Scottish designer Jonathan Saunders held the creative director role in the mid-2010s, and returned last year to design a Bergdorf Goodman capsule for the label. His own namesake knitwear brand — launched in 2020 and celebrated for its saturated, joyful color palette — reflects exactly the sensibility DVF built its identity on. He's already relocated his studio from Brooklyn to DVF's Meatpacking District headquarters, and his debut collection is set for New York Fashion Week this September.

Beyond the Wrap Dress

The wrap dress, introduced in 1974 at the crest of second-wave feminism, remains the marrow of this brand — a garment so legible it practically has its own ZIP code in fashion history. But Zankov is thinking in full wardrobes, not icons. "I would love someone to come in and buy a cotton T-shirt, or a trench coat," he said, describing his vision for pieces that feel "substantial, but also light." His frame isn't even strictly fashion: "I think it's a brand about women. The person comes first."

Diane Von Furstenberg — who turns 80 this year and largely lives in Venice now — signed off on the hire with something more personal than a press quote. The two designers share a striking ancestral connection: both can trace roots to Chișinău, now the capital of Moldova, once part of the Kingdom of Romania. "He and I, we come from the same tribe," she said. Zankov, born in St. Petersburg and raised in New Jersey, credits DVF's world with forming his whole philosophy around color. Her advice to him? He paraphrases it simply: ease, effortlessness, intention.

When the right designer meets the right brand moment, the clothes have somewhere real to go — and Zankov walking back through DVF's doors with a decade more clarity feels less like nostalgia than like timing.

Read the original at Vogue.