With news of Matthew M Williams‘ appointment to the house of Givenchy still fresh, Quartz has reported of a new study published by investment company Bernstein. The analysis hints that “successful” creative directors of luxury fashion brands average a five year “expiry date.” The report appears to underscore recent creative director moves, with data informed by big news like Raf Simons swapping Calvin Klein for Prada, Clare Waight Keller’s tenure as artistic director of Givenchy and Kim Jones‘ appointment to Dior. Bernstein considered company profitability, share prices and enterprise value (an estimation of total value) when appraising the performances of creative directors. Crucially, Bernstein discovered that after a five year stretch with any one creative director, a company’s fortunes would decline. This may explain why powerhouses like LVMH and Kering are more keen to replace their creative directors in short timeframes,...