Diane von Furstenberg names Henry Zankov as creative director

Henry Zankov has been appointed artistic director of Diane von Furstenberg (DVF), effective immediately, as announced by Graziano de Boni, the label’s CEO. Zankov will oversee DVF’s entire creative direction, from collection design to visual identity, and will make his runway debut at New York Fashion Week in September. Alongside this new role, he will continue to lead his eponymous label Zankov, which he founded in New York in 2020.

Zankov had first joined DVF in 2014, working there for four years before launching his own label. He returned to DVF last September, designing an exclusive capsule collection that premièred at Bergdorf Goodman.

“I have always been surrounded and inspired by strong women, and Diane is the ultimate embodiment of that. The DVF woman is a rebel – confident, curious and independent. It is an honour and privilege for me to build on Diane’s legacy and carry the brand into the future,” said Zankov.

“I applaud Graziano’s vision. I am looking forward to seeing how Henry’s design flair, sense of colour and natural sensibility will succeed in winning over a new generation,” said Diane von Furstenberg.

Zankov trained at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York, and has worked for nearly 15 years in the industry. He was assistant designer for menswear at Donna Karan, and collaborated with labels like Jason Wu and DKNY. In addition to his designer role, Zankov teaches at the Parsons School of Design.

Since joining DVF in 2023, de Boni has been pursuing a long-term strategy focused on revitalising the brand’s aesthetic, restoring product authenticity, and relaunching DVF’s global retail distribution. “Bringing the business back in-house in 2025 was a deliberate decision, aimed at reclaiming the brand’s identity and value. This appointment marks a new phase in DVF’s evolution. Henry brings fresh energy, strong vision and renewed cultural relevance, attracting a new generation to DVF,” said de Boni.

After his first stint at DVF, Zankov launched his own knitwear label for men and women, earning recognition for the collections’ bold graphics, intense colours, and special focus on volumes. Zankov’s style combines a sense of playful light-heartedness with a minimalist approach. Strong emphasis is placed on textures, through blends of natural and synthetic fibres. Zankov draws his creative inspiration from art, sculpture, 1960s typography, and interior design, notably from artists like Fernand Léger, Picasso, Ellsworth Kelly and Jasper Johns. In 2024, he won the CFDA’s Emerging American Designer of the year award, consolidating his position among international fashion’s new names.