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Carolina Herrera Marks 45 Years With Wes Gordon Succession Model

other · 2026-09-14

Carolina Herrera celebrates its 45th anniversary this year, and the fashion house is being cited as a model for managing a founder-to-successor creative transition. Wes Gordon holds the role of creative director, having taken over from founder Carolina Herrera, while Emilie Rubinfeld serves as president of the brand. The two executives have publicly described the process by which the leadership handover was carried out. The transition is framed as a case study in how an established label can move from its founding designer to a new creative chief without losing momentum. Details of the succession were shared by Gordon and Rubinfeld in an interview published by Vogue.

Key facts

  • Carolina Herrera turns 45 this year.
  • Wes Gordon is the brand's creative director.
  • Emilie Rubinfeld is president of Carolina Herrera.
  • The brand transitioned from founder Carolina Herrera to Gordon.
  • Gordon and Rubinfeld described how the succession was managed.
  • The transition is presented as a blueprint for founder-to-successor handovers.
  • The story was published by Vogue.

Entities

Artists

Institutions

  • Carolina Herrera
  • Vogue

Sources