In a welcome homecoming, Monse designers Laura Kim and Fernando Garcia will return to Oscar de la Renta as co-creative directors, The New York Times reports. The duo will replace Peter Copping, who left the company after less than two years in July.
Kim and Garcia both worked with de la Renta before his passing, with Kim serving the role of design director and Garcia as a design assistant and celebrity wrangler, the Times reports. Both started at the house as interns. They were passed over with the hiring of Copping, who was handpicked by de la Renta to head up the creative team.
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Kim and Garcia struck out on their own to start Monse, which quickly grew to be a favorite of celebs like Selena Gomez, who tapped the label to create looks for her Revival tour — including a stunning bodysuit covered with $100,000 worth of Swarovski crystals. Monse has been racking up accolades since debuting — including CFDA Award and International Woolmark Prize nominations, so it's no surprise that the duo was asked to return to the label.
While Copping left the brand citing personal reasons, his collections for the past two years have been tepidly received by the fashion world. "I screwed that one up, in retrospect,” Oscar de la Renta Chief Executive Alex Bolen told the Times. "I wish Laura had come in and pounded the table and said, ‘I want the job.’ We discussed it."
The pair will continue to design for Monse as well as Oscar de la Renta; their debut collection for the house will be shown next February.