Carven names Mark Thomas director of design

Carven has appointed Mark Thomas as director of design. The French fashion brand confirmed the news on its official Instagram account, where it said that its team “continues to build on the foundations and refine the codes and style forged for the house”.

Thomas has been with Carven since June 2023, at which time he initially entered the company as head of sartorial and creative collaborations. He joined Carven from Lacoste, where he had served as design director for men’s show and global collaborations for almost four years.

This preceded a number of notable roles at various fashion houses for Thomas, including creative director for Helmut Lang, head designer for menswear at Joseph and head designer at Givenchy. He has also held positions at Burberry and Neil Barrett.

Thomas’ promotion at Carven comes shortly after the label parted ways with its creative director, Louise Trotter, in December 2024. Trotter’s last collection with the house was exhibited in January, during Paris Fashion Week.

Now, seemingly under the direction of Thomas, Carven will move forward, though what shape this may take is yet to be determined. In its Instagram post, the brand simply said: “Carven’s future activities will be announced in due course. The next Paris show will be for spring/summer 2026.”