It may be widely expected but it’s still a shock when highly respected designers are ousted from their creation director posts and so it was on Wednesday as, post-AW25 runway show, we learned that Jil Sander and its creative chiefs Lucie and Luke Meier “have mutually decided that this collection would be the last of their collaboration”.

Their impending exit has been talked about for months and finally came just after they showed a collection that received — like many of their previous collections — widespread praise.

And unlike some creative director exits, the parties concerned were full of praise for each other. Renzo Rosso, chairman of OTB Group, owner of the Jil Sander brand, said he “wishes to thank Lucie and Luke for their vision, passion for excellence, and dedication to the brand”.

At the same time, in a press release, OTB said “the designers seize this occasion to express their heartfelt gratitude to OTB and the Jil Sander teams who have consistently dedicated their energy, passion, and talent to this project, and are proud of the work they have accomplished alongside such wonderful people. A special thanks as well to Mr Rosso”.

The company didn’t share any information about what happens next, although there have been rumours for some time that Daniel Lee might be exiting a changing Burberry to helm the label. As for the Meiers, they’re likely to be in demand after their creatively successful tenure at Jil Sander.