MCM Names Dirk Schönberger As New Global Creative Officer

MUNICH, GERMANY — German luxury leather goods brand MCM is aiming to become a billion-dollar brand with the new appointment of Dirk Schönberger, effective immediately. The designer joins the brand from adidas, where he was creative director since 2010, bringing on board collaborators such as Kanye West.

His first collection will be presented later in the year with Spring/Summer 2020.

“MCM is a 21st-century icon of style, quality, craftsmanship, and modernity. I am honored to address a new generation of consumers who are opinionated, outgoing, and courageous in their expression of style… and I believe that together we can build a global powerhouse of German luxury,” said Schönberger.

During his tenure at adidas, the German sportswear giant collaborated with Raf Simons, Rick Owens, Pharrell Williams and Kanye West; and enriched its paradigm-busting partnership with Yohji Yamamoto known as Y-3.

In this newly created role at MCM, Schönberger will oversee product design and brand experience, “implementing global creative strategies to ensure an integrated vision across all expansions,” the house said in a release.

“Dirk is the perfect person to present new takes on our heritage with elements of the modern cultural melting pot that is Berlin – fusing it all with the hyper-modern elements of our brand,” said Sung-Joo Kim, chairperson of MCM Holdings.

MCM Worldwide was founded in 1976 by Michael Cromer in Munich. It originally stood for Michael Cromer München. It now stands for Modern Creation Munich.  It defines itself as New School Luxury, underlined by the MCM credo: Health is the New Wealth. Time is the New Luxury. Creativity is the New Power.

The worldwide rights to the MCM brand were acquired by Sungjoo Group, a South Korean retail business founded by Sung-Joo Kim. Kim re-launched the brand in 2006 with a new store in Berlin and appointed German designer Michael Michalsky as MCM’s creative director. The luxury brand thereafter reopened stores in New York, Paris, London, Singapore, Tokyo and China among others. In 2011, MCM debuted its largest store in Hong Kong’s Entertainment Building.

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