Industry insiders give their first impressions of Kai Nesselrath’s Carven, following his Thursday debut.Industry insiders give their first impressions of Kai Nesselrath’s Carven, following his Thursday debut.
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For his debut show at Carven, Kai Nesselrath dug into the archives, specifically the late ’50s and early ’60s, or “the peak of Carven” as he puts it. “I looked at these precise lines. And I come from a very tailored background — I wanted the collection to be very sculptural — so there are a lot of these lines in it,” Nesselrath said backstage.
Nesselrath started as Carven design director in June, succeeding Mark Thomas who exited the house in April. The new recruit joined from Saint Laurent, where he spent almost a decade rising the ranks to eventually become head designer of womenswear. Before this, the half German, half Italian designer, who is fluent in German, English, Spanish, Italian and French, also had a stint at Chanel.
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But how does Nesselrath feel about being at the creative helm of a house? “ I’m enjoying it so much,” he said. “My best school was Saint Laurent. I met the best people there, who have been incredibly supportive. So I felt really sure about taking the job.”
Carven’s DNA is very different from Saint Laurent. “Saint Laurent is this power woman, think straight shoulders. Marie-Louise Carven [who founded Carvenin 1945] is much more real — here, the shoulders are round,” he explained.
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The soundtrack featured the voice of Anna Karina, in Jean-Luc Godard’s dystopian sci-fi movie Alphaville, reading a poem. “It’s an amazing movie. It felt so familiar to today: this darkness and AI taking over, and the only way to navigate it is through poetry and love. So when she said this poem, it really made me think of the times of today,” he said.
Nesselrath inherits the brand in the midst of a revival effort led by parent company ICCF Group (formerly Icicle Group). In early 2018, Carven filed for bankruptcy and was later acquired by the Chinese group, which also owns Icicle, the label Sabato de Sarno joined as creative director in September.
Carven has seen several creative director changes over the past two decades. More recently, Louise Trotter led the brand creatively from February 2023 until her departure for Bottega Veneta in December 2024. Thomas was then promoted to the top job in March 2025, with the title of design director. He built on the sophisticated, wearable design language he and Trotter had established when working in the studio together.
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With a closer focus on the details, Thursday’s show could have felt more impactful in allowing the strength of Nesselrath’s collection to materialize more fully. Though Carven doesn’t have the resources of a major fashion house, there’s clear potential.
Here’s what industry insiders had to say.
Guillaume Steinmetz, co-founder of concept store The Broken Arm
It’s a fairly smart collection. The final look, with the white fabric, was very beautiful. There was a simplicity to it that was really well executed — beautiful and elegant. He drew partly inspiration from workwear, which reflects what the women who walk through the doors of our store actually wear. It’s a lovely foundation for introducing something of his own.
Angélique Liautaud, womenswear buying and merchandising director at Printemps
There was a strong sense of continuity in the Carven codes. It felt easy and modern. Silhouettes were sleek, with a softer femininity, a quiet sensuality, with elevated, delicate textures and color palette. It was incredibly wearable and very relevant to a modern wardrobe.
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Louise Chen, DJ
It was refreshing. I loved the palette — the pale blue, the deep green. The bloomers were great and I loved all the sheer layers. There was a lot that I wanted to wear. Plus, any show that ends with Prince has me sold.
Leaf Greener, creative branding and communication consultant
Carven’s iconic green and white stripes originate from the summer work uniforms worn by maids in old French townhouses. Madame Carven ingeniously transformed the simplicity of workwear into the realm of haute couture. And in the 1960s, Carven was one of the few Parisian haute couture houses to maintain an official Uniformes division. Now, Kai reinterprets this uniform spirit by infusing it with a deconstructed modernity and the white and green stripes in a pajama set.
Charlotte Chesnais, founder of the namesake jewelry brand
I liked the structured but non-rigid silhouettes. I loved the double bags — I always keep a small bag hidden inside a larger one — as well as the two long navy blue trench coats.
Kristin Stoffels, fashion director at Knack Weekend
It was very minimalist and pure but still fun and youthful. The two opening looks with the mini skirts and the short jackets were fresh. I loved the shoes with the pearls on and the plexiglass heels. I am very enthusiastic.
