Proenza Schouler is entering a new chapter with Rachel Scott at the helm.
On Tuesday, the American luxury brand revealed its appointment of Rachel Scott, founder and designer of Diotima, as its new creative director, overseeing all categories for the brand including mainline ready-to-wear, White Label, handbags and footwear. Her first presentation for the brand will debut in February 2026 with its fall 2026 collection. However, the industry will be introduced to the beginning of her conversation for Proenza Schouler at the upcoming New York Fashion Week as Scott worked closely with the brand’s design studio as a consultant over the last few months to collaborate on the spring 2026 collection.
Scott will continue Diotima alongside her new role of overseeing creative director and will be presenting her latest collection for that label during NYFW.
Scott, who officially started with the brand on Aug. 15, succeeds Proenza Schouler founders Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez, who in January stepped down as creative directors of the brand they founded in 2002. Last March, Loewe confirmed that the duo would succeed Jonathan Anderson at Loewe, with plans to show their first collection during Paris Fashion Week in October.
As reported by WWD, the duo, who remain company shareholders and serve on the Proenza Schouler board, worked in tandem with Proenza Schouler chief executive officer Shira Suveyke Snyder to find a new creative lead for the brand.
“When we left Proenza Schouler last January, we knew the story would go on but not yet who would write the next chapter. Rachel is someone whose work we have always admired. Her trajectory over the last few years has been impressive to watch. As founders and board members of the company, we are proud to welcome her to this very special brand and excited to see how she will embrace and evolve the legacy and spirit of what we started,” Hernandez and McCollough said in a statement.
“Jack and Lazaro, as board members, helped along with the global search that we embarked — which started before their exit was even announced, we started having off-the-record conversations with talent,” Suveyke Snyder told WWD in an exclusive interview. “It was really a journey to figure out exactly who was the right fit for Proenza. Having that right mix of someone who is going to bring a unique point of view, but also would really honor the codes and the legacy of what Jack and Lazaro started.”
Suveyke Snyder added that finding a creative director who could continue the company’s culture and work with the design studio, atelier and global teams in New York and Italy was of importance.
“I had met Rachel, interestingly at the [2024] CFDA Awards when both Proenza Schouler and Diotima were nominated for American Womenswear Designer of the Year. That’s how she and I first connected. As I was embarking upon the search, I also knew we needed support in the studio for the upcoming collection, and I thought Rachel would maybe help out. She agreed and, as time progressed, I thought, ‘Of course, there’s so much in conversation in Diotima’s language, Rachel’s spirit and Proenza’s language,’ but as I started to see her work I thought, ‘This could be a marriage made in heaven,’ while knee-deep in search,” Suveyke Snyder explained of asking Scott to work with the brand full time after she served as a consultant earlier this year. “Then things fell into place.”
Suveyke Snyder said that while she had wonderful conversations with global talents while searching for the brand’s new creative director, she and the board found Scott the “quintessential” person from the New York design community to carry forward the brand’s “balance of European codes and American culture.”
Suveyke Snyder noted that Scott fit the bill for the company’s search for a creative director who had a strong understanding of its luxe American brand codes, current female audience and a vision of the woman the brand wants to speak to in the future. Furthermore, Scott’s love of materials and strong ability to marry craft with innovation made her the natural choice to lead the brand forward, she said.
In addition, Suveyke Snyder noted the brand’s new flagship on Mercer Street in SoHo, which opened in January, and re-imaged e-commerce platform have been successful and performing.
“It is an exciting time to have a new creative voice come into the organization as we look to expand our retail footprint,” she said. “We’re also excited to see how we think about expression of the brand online and how we continue to evolve that image online — seeing how Rachel influences that is exciting. We’re embarking on this new chapter from a creative perspective, but also from a business strategy perspective. We’re looking to talk to our customer, and I believe Rachel is going to inspire a new community of Proenza Schouler women.”
Last year Scott took home the American Womenswear Designer of the Year award at the CFDA Fashion Awards and was awarded the CFDA Awards’ Google Shopping American Emerging Designer of the Year honor in 2023 after launching her womenswear label Diotima just four years ago. The New York-based designer, who hails from Kingston, Jamaica, also received the Fashion Trust U.S. ready-to-wear award in 2025.
Since Diotima’s inception, Scott has gained a steady and strong following for her inclusive, nuanced and authentic vision of Caribbean style through strong tailoring, knit dressing and sportswear with fringe, emellishment and strong handcrafted, artisanal details. She has been celebrated as one of the most exciting luxury brands to come out of New York City in recent years for her female led, modern and sensual fashions.
Prior to launching Diotima in 2021, Scott studied fine art and French literature at Colgate University and fashion design at the Istitu Marangoni in Milan before starting her career at Costume National. She then moved to New York and cut her teeth at J.Mendel and Ashley and Mary-Kate Olsen’s contemporary label Elizabeth and James before joining Rachel Comey in 2015, where she worked her way up to vice president of design, ready-to-wear and footwear.
Amidst the ongoing musical chairs across luxury houses, Scott’s appointment plays into a new generation of creative directors.
“This is an incredibly momentous moment for the industry — Rachel is an exciting new voice and offers a fresh vision embracing both craft and modernity,” said Linda Fargo, senior vice president, fashion director and store presentation of Bergdorf Goodman. “To not only have Rachel continuing to design for Diotima, but now also extending her creative prowess and leadership to Proenza Schouler is an inspiring and exciting time for our customers. We could not be more proud of Rachel and the opportunity for her to lead this significant new era for Proenza Schouler.”
“I think it’s amazing to bring on a female creative director and to be able to see how she takes this brand forward. We set out the search to find the best person for the job and we’re delighted that it’s Rachel. We’re excited to see what a female will bring to Proenza Schouler, and how the subtle differences in fit, technique or the way she thinks of a woman’s body or lifestyle — those nuances, we’re excited to see what that brings,” Suveyke Snyder said. “We’re ready to get going, and are so excited for February.”