Chris Benz Named Creative Director at Bill Blass

Bill Blass is looking to inject new life into its womenswear line and the brand just hired Chris Benz to do it. The designer, who up until now had been taking a time out from the fashion world, is back in the thick of things now that he’s taken on the role of creative director at the label.

Benz tells WWD that he plans to bring a fresh, new point of view to the house. Oftentimes when new designers come in at an already-established brand, the impulse is to draw inspiration from its past. Instead, he wants to focus on  “what feels modern today, what women need and want today outside of seasons, huge collections and overdevelopment with not only design and product but how [Blass] would be running his business, taking advantage of social media and new platforms for personality connections with the customer. As a designer looking to the future, you don’t want to get lost in the archives.”

The Bill Blass house itself is also making a return to fashion after a bit of a break. It hasn’t produced any womenswear collections since 2012. The big unveiling of its new collection will take place for Spring 2016, so there is still plenty of time for Benz to ruminate on what he’s going to do for his debut at the label. 

Until then, we can’t wait to see what he turns out.

[via WWD]

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