Area Taps Nicholas Aburn as Creative Director

Forty-eight hours after Area’s cofounder and creative director Piotrek Panszczyk exited, the company has ushered in Nicholas Aburn as its new creative director.

With Aburn on board, Area’s cofounder Beckett Fogg has lined up a talent who brings with him more than 12 years of experience through posts at Balenciaga, Alexander Wang and Tom Ford. Originally from Maryland, he was most recently based in Paris.

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Aburn, who was not available Thursday for an interview, first joined Balenciaga in June of 2022. He served as senior designer couture until recently, based on his LinkedIn profile. The creative had previously worked at Alexander Wang Inc. for nearly four years as a senior designer of womenswear until November of 2020. His experience also included more than four years at Tom Ford, where he was designer for Flou and eveningwear for a year in London and assistant designer for women’s wear and VIP for over three years.

He also spent time at the University of the Arts London, where he earned both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees at Central Saint Martins. He also studied under Louise Wilson for his master of arts degree.

Fogg said in a statement Thursday, “His vision for the brand’s evolution will amplify Area’s resonance and propel us into an exciting new era.”

With his new post, Aburn is back Stateside. He said in a statement, “New York has always inspired me with its mix of raw energy and glamour. Area truly embodies this spirit, and I am excited to bring the brand back to its roots.”

Beckett and Panszczyk had first met at Parsons School of Design while they were pursuing master’s degrees in fashion design and society. After Beckett had a run at Calvin Klein Collection and Panszczyk worked at Chloé, they teamed up to start Area in downtown New York and built up global distribution through several leading stores. How the perception of femininity and beauty evolve over time and across cultures was explored in their designs. At the 67^th annual Grammy awards in Los Angeles, the musician Janelle Monáe wore a slouchy Area pantsuit on the red carpet Sunday.

Panszczyk’s next career move remains to be seen.

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