British designer Peter Copping, the creative director at Oscar de la Renta, is leaving the company after less than two years.
According to The New York Times, Copping announced he was leaving due to “personal circumstances [that] require me to return to Europe."
Copping said, "I have loved my time in New York where I hope to return at some point in the future.”
The company's CEO, Alex Bolen said in a statement that "we wish Peter well in his future endeavours," but stressed that company would go on without him.
"We have always been in the business of creating beautiful clothes, and two of our greatest assets are our design studio and atelier," Bolen said. "Our team will continue to work on next season’s collection with a keen focus on the level of sophistication and craftsmanship that are the hallmarks of the house."
Copping — who previously worked for Nina Ricci in Paris and Marc Jacobs at Louis Vuitton — was the only designer besides Oscar de la Renta to head up the family-run brand. He was handpicked by de la Renta for the job and joined the brand after the designer's death in 2014.
A replacement has yet to be announced for Copping, but the label will show its spring 2017 show on the 12th of September as previously scheduled. It will be designed by an in-house team.
This is not the only shakeup at a major fashion house this year. The creative directors of Yves Saint Laurent, Balenciaga, Dior, Lanvin and Tod’s have all announced their departures.
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