Nooz from Noo Yoik! Nathan Jenden has designed his last dress for DvF. At New York Fashion week this month, when he takes his bow with boss and mentor Diane von Furstenberg, there’ll be tissues to hand as it’ll mark the end of his tenure as creative director at the iconic label.
 
Although we love stirring up a bit of a fash-feud, on this occasion there haven’t been any mannequin-throwing tantrums or artistic splits. Jenden’s eponymous label – based in London – has grown so much since its launch in 2006 that he’s returning to his home town to concentrate on building his own brand.
 
Diane told WWD that 'This show is really a celebration of Nathan and I, and of our collaboration,' And added, 'It’s sad because we are going apart, even though we are staying close, and exciting because he is going to do his thing and focus on it.'

Now he’ll have the time to devote to it, the idea of sunglasses and a resort collection has been mooted already and we can only imagine how he’s been pulled in different directions creating for not one but two brands – on different sides of the Atlantic. Nathan comes from London originally, where he studied at Central Saint Martins and the RCA before getting involved with John Galliano in Paris and working his way up from there.

 Diane took him on in 2001 and reaped the rewards of his flair, as Jenden explained, 'From when I started doing my own line to now, the company has grown so much bigger,' Jenden added. 'That’s what I will take with me, having watched Diane build it from something very small with one store to a company with 33 stores, and more opening.' DvF was a huge name in the '70s, then fell out of view before being revamped and enjoying a huge resurgence in the last decade. Clearly Mr Jenden is itching to put this experience into practise for a second time with his own label. 

For her part, Diane has always been a supportive boss and generous when it comes to giving Jenden credit and his turn in the spotlight. She was there, for example, sitting in the front row, for his debut London show – like a proud mum. She’s obviously fond of him, saying ‘he’s part of the family’ and has even compared him to her first husband Egon.

Diane is hugely respected and admired in New York. Her time as president of the CFDA was followed by a second term because everyone thought she did so well. Her next protégé? Yvan Mispelaere, former member of Phoebe Philo’s design team at Chloé and later at Gucci as design director under creative director Frida Giannini in 2006, who will take over as creative director for the next season.

- Naomi Attwood