J. Mendel gains a resident designer as Jonathan Cohen takes charge of the house’s creative relaunch and will present his first collection for the label in October in New York.
The Story in Pictures
Cohen began the role in August, a move announced the day before New York Fashion Week. He will remain active with his own eponymous line while working inside the 156-year-old house, managing both his business and the responsibilities at J. Mendel.
His personal brand now operates on a two-tier model: Jonathan Cohen White Label, a seasonless core collection that releases eight times a year, and Jonathan Cohen Black Label, which produces made-to-order specialty pieces. That operating structure will sit alongside the responsibilities he takes on at J. Mendel, where the brief is to revive the label’s New York atelier and its reputation for luxurious eveningwear and elaborate fur work.
J. Mendel has been through a prolonged transition. Gilles Mendel, the fifth-generation designer who previously led the house, moved to focus on couture and bridal under House of Gilles. The label filed for bankruptcy in 2018, after which minority investor Stallion Inc. acquired a majority stake. Mendel continued producing collections for the brand through Fall/Winter 2020 and delivered an additional FW22 knitwear offering.
Cohen brings a recognisable sensibility, noted for colourful, hand-drawn prints and bold silhouettes, which positions him to refresh the house’s signature codes while preserving its formal identity. October’s runway will be the first substantive measure of whether his approach can reconnect J. Mendel to buyers and the market that historically rewarded its eveningwear.
For now, the appointment makes clear that the brand’s new ownership intends an active, design-led reboot ahead of the next season. Cohen’s dual commitments to his own label and to J. Mendel will shape how quickly the house can reassert a regular runway presence and rebuild an atelier-based business model.
