PARIS — Lacoste confirmed on Friday that it has named Mark Howard Thomas as director of men’s fashion show and global collaborations, effective Oct. 21. This follows a report in WWD on Thursday that Thomas had left Helmut Lang in New York and was heading back to Paris to work alongside Lacoste creative director Louise Trotter, his former colleague.
The designer confirmed he was moving back to Paris in an Instagram post. Thomas joined Helmut Lang in New York as creative director for men’s wear two years ago. His first collection, shown in New York in January, was well-received.
“Wow! What an amazing experience for me these past two years at Helmut Lang in New York City. Thank you to everyone that made my time there so special and particularly to the teams who worked with such passion and creativity. It has been an honor to work alongside you at this iconic house,” he said in another post.
A graduate of Central Saint Martins, Thomas began his career in Milan working for Neil Barrett, before joining Givenchy under Riccardo Tisci, and later Joseph.
Lacoste declined to provide any additional information about the appointment, which marks the first time it has publicly named a separate creative director for men’s wear. Trotter and Thomas previously worked together for four years at Joseph in London, where Trotter was creative director from 2009 to 2018.
Trotter, who was named creative director of Lacoste last October, is the first woman to have filled that role in the history of the Paris-based brand.