Lazaro Hernandez
Co-creative director of Loewe since 2025; co-founder of Proenza Schouler
Lazaro Hernandez is an American designer who, with Jack McCollough, co-founded the New York label Proenza Schouler in 2002 and led it for more than two decades. Since 2025 he and McCollough have been co-creative directors of Loewe, the Spanish leather goods house owned by LVMH.
| Role | Co-creative director, Loewe |
|---|---|
| Since | 2025 |
| Co-founded | Proenza Schouler, 2002 |
| Design partner | Jack McCollough |
| Awards | CFDA Womenswear Designer of the Year 2007, 2011, 2013 |
Who is Lazaro Hernandez?
Lazaro Hernandez is an American fashion designer and one half of the design duo behind Proenza Schouler. With his partner Jack McCollough he built the label into a fixture of New York Fashion Week, known for precise tailoring, inventive fabrics and successful handbags. In 2025 the pair became co-creative directors of Loewe.
Career
Hernandez studied at Parsons School of Design, where he and McCollough created their graduating collection together. Barneys New York bought the entire collection, and in 2002 the two founded Proenza Schouler.
The brand quickly gained industry recognition. It received the first CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund award in 2004, the Swarovski award for ready-to-wear and three CFDA Womenswear Designer of the Year titles, in 2007, 2011 and 2013. Proenza Schouler's work was included in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's 2016 exhibition Manus x Machina, which explored the relationship between handcraft and machine-made fashion.
After a series of investors, from the Valentino Fashion Group in 2007 to Castanea Partners, the founders regained full ownership in 2018. In January 2025 they announced they would stop designing for the label, while staying on as board members and minority shareholders, and they were appointed at Loewe following Jonathan Anderson's departure in March 2025. Rachel Scott became Proenza Schouler's creative director in August 2025.
Influence on the fashion business
Hernandez's career is closely tied to the economics of independent fashion in the United States. Proenza Schouler's path shows:
- How early wholesale support can launch a young label
- The role of accessories in making a designer brand financially viable
- The challenges of shifting investor structures
- The appeal of proven independent designers to luxury groups
At Loewe, Hernandez and McCollough lead a house with deep leather craft traditions and a strong accessories business, which gives their work a much larger commercial platform.
For Loewe, the appointment followed eleven years of growth under Jonathan Anderson, so the duo inherited a brand with strong momentum and high expectations. Their task is to keep that momentum while bringing their own sensibility to the house's leather goods and ready-to-wear.
Why it matters
The appointment of Hernandez and McCollough at Loewe marked a rare case of an American design duo taking over a major European luxury house. How they adapt their New York sensibility to Loewe will shape one of LVMH's most closely watched brands.
Frequently asked questions
Who is Lazaro Hernandez?
Lazaro Hernandez is an American designer who co-founded Proenza Schouler with Jack McCollough in 2002. Since 2025 they have been co-creative directors of Loewe.
Who are the creative directors of Loewe?
Since 2025 Loewe has been led creatively by Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez, the founders of Proenza Schouler. They succeeded Jonathan Anderson, who left in March 2025 after eleven years.