It would be foolish to doubt Clare Waight Keller's instincts. The British fashion designer helped Tom Ford fine-tune the sexiness of his Gucci tenure and paid proper homage to Hubert de Givenchy in her three years as the fashion house's first female creative director. She made Meghan Markle's wedding dress. Still, when Waight Keller launched Uniqlo: C in 2023, she had to field questions about her decision: What compelled Waight Keller to leave the gilded world of luxury behind?
"Change is part of my ethos and philosophy in work and life. It pushes and challenges you, makes you evolve and learn," Waight Keller exclusively tells Marie Claire over Zoom. The designer admits it's a paradox, but flux is the constant of her career. "People who stay in place end up being quite comfortable in a routine—but I don't want to ever be stuck doing one thing for a long time. I've stayed at some brands for two years, others for six or seven, but it's always been the right time to make the change," she says, referencing her styling stints at Calvin Klein and Ralph Lauren and creative directing gigs at Chloé and Pringle of Scotland. "I had expressed what I wanted to; it was the time to move on and do something different."
