Seeming to give reason to the rumors that Peter Copping was being groomed as Oscar de la Renta‘s successor, a report from WWD today confirms that the current Artistic Director of Nina Ricci may be heading to fill the large footsteps of de la Renta at his eponymous fashion house.
Copping, a 47 year old British design graduate of the Royal College of Art and Central Saint Martins in London, spent over decade at Louis Vuitton — he was Marc Jacobs’ first assistant there, and helped launch LV’s ready-to-wear line — before taking over at Nina Ricci after Olivier Theysken’s departure in 2009. His contract with the brand runs through 2016.
De la Renta, 82, has insisted that he is not retiring from his label, but that he is looking to add some talented contributors. According to today’s preliminary report, which has not been refuted by either party, Oscar de la Renta is planning to hire Copping to a lead design role.
