This year marks two important milestones for Carolina Herrera — the American fashion brand’s 45th anniversary and the 10th anniversary of its Good Girl fragrance. 

The celebration, culminating with creative director Wes Gordon’s spring 2027 runway show on Monday evening at the David H. Koch Theater, comes amid a string of store openings, most recently in Miami and La Jolla, Calif., and category expansions ranging from a widened assortment of daywear, including Herrera denim, to more handbags and jewelry. 

The brand also popped up in the Hamptons and partnered with Net-a-porter on an exclusive capsule that was launched with a train-to-luncheon activation in London this past summer. And after a few years of destination runway shows in locations stretching from Madrid to Mexico City and Rio de Janeiro, Herrera returned to New York City to celebrate its anniversary year. 

Reflecting on the brand’s history, Herrera president Emilie Rubinfeld told WWD that, “The evolution of Carolina Herrera from Carolina Herrera herself [who founded the company in 1981 before stepping aside in 2018], the founder, to Wes Gordon, our creative director — reflecting on that and all that has transpired in these 45 years, and where we are today, stronger than ever is a deeply satisfying place to be as we look at the future.”

As reported, Herrera has seen double-digit growth in revenues in the first half of 2026, outpacing the 4.4 percent like-for-like growth seen overall at parent company Puig. That growth is being driven by Puig’s strategy to further unify its brand’s respective fashion and fragrance businesses, as recently outlined to WWD by Ana Trias, Puig’s president of fashion and fragrance.

Gordon, who was this month nominated for women’s designer of the year at the CFDA Awards, also believes it’s an exciting time at the company. He explained that not only is the brand beloved globally, but it is part of a small number of legacy houses in New York City that should continue to be celebrated for their longevity.

“I’ve definitely grown in my confidence as a designer, I’ve strengthened my clarity and point of view as a designer, and I think it’s an interesting thing to succeed a founder at a house because it’s a bit of a balance between respecting the founder’s legacy, design work and point of view, while also allowing oneself to create and grow and design,” Gordon said of his eight-year tenure at Herrera. “Now I can say that I feel like I really do do that. I have an innate respect for the house and Mrs. Herrera that I don’t need to force or fake with each collection. It’s there. It’s a part of who I am, and I’m able to design and make decisions without tension or struggle with whether it’s right for the brand because I know that it is.”

The creative director continues to have a close relationship with Herrera herself, which has nothing to do with the brand or design.

“We do not talk about it. It’s amazing on her part because it takes a lot of strength and courage. The first time she sees the collection is when she’s seated at the show. There’s no advance preview. There’s no texting of pictures,” he explained. “We chat when we have dinner, but it’s about fun topics. She loves our kids [he and his husband Paul Arnhold have two children]. It’s a very beautiful friendship.”

In addition to the brand’s celebrations, Gordon had one of his own this year: his 40th birthday. When asked if these milestones and passing moments of time play into his approach to design each year, he responded, “One hundred percent.

“I am so lucky to have joy in my life and fullness in my life, and I think happy people make happy clothes. I think it’s impossible to create something, whether it’s a painting, architecture or even a dress, that feels light and joyful if the creator is not also,” he said, as evidenced in his collections that continue to exude beauty and joy. Furthermore, a lot of his significant life chapters have been spent at Herrera — including almost all of his thirties. 

“I remember rushing out of a fitting to fly to Las Vegas to get married. I remember waiting for our son to be born while watching on FaceTime a look book shoot happening. A lot of my life milestones and growth are interwoven with my time at Herrera, and it’s something that’s really special,” he said. 

Since Gordon joined the company in 2018, Rubinfeld said she’s seen this journey and his role of creative director evolve as the brand continues to grow. 

“It’s not enough to just be a very strong designer who can create incredible collections that resonate with the consumer, but the designer has to be talented in so many creative ways. When we talk about the expansion of our retail footprint, Wes has really been part of that journey. Whether it’s in crafting the concept for the store, to being present and being a partner in the storytelling of the new store. He’s done an incredible job in being able to take his creativity and manifest it in so many key strategic ways that really support the business,” she said.

Rubinfeld said she’s particularly optimistic about expanding Herrera’s retail footprint as a key strategic initiative for the organization because those locations, both building new ones and nurturing the ones they already have, are where the company can truly express one brand message. It’s where their clients can experience the world of Herrera, “whether it’s a great day dress or a fabulous clutch, jewelry, makeup, fragrance, sunglasses. It’s really all there, and we just love this idea of, you know, dressing a woman from head to toe.” 

Next up? A new store planned to open in Atlanta at Phipps Plaza next summer, which is a particularly special project and opening for the brand, as Gordon grew up there.

While the focus is on the U.S. in terms of retail footprint, the brand continues to have a robust business globally, particularly with wholesale partners including Selfridges, Harrods, Net-a-porter and others. Rubinfeld also noted that throughout the history of the house, Herrera has been speaking to the Middle East consumer. 

“We’re excited because now many of our international partners are participating in the new bag category. We’re very much excited to be dressing those international clients in the ready-to-wear expression of our brand and now with accessories,” she said. 

This speaks to the brand’s opportunities for further growth. The Herrera woman continues to come to the brand for its special occasionwear and Ladies Who Lunch elan, but Gordon is now pushing it beyond ready-to-wear, which remains the core of its fashion business, into head-to-toe accessories. Part of this is revising “conventional thought of what is evening, what is day, and what is just Herrera, where you look fabulous,” Rubinfeld said, specifically calling out her favorite small fan-shaped leather Consuelo bag, which easily transitions from morning to night.

Gordon added that with both retail and head-to-toe dressing expansions, he sees clients’ desire for emotional connection, artistry and soul in both their shopping experiences and fashion purchases amid the increased role of AI. He revels at the opportunity to grow and play in each area of the company while growing his category business, which truly dresses multiple generations, and thinks it’s his responsibility to craft the perfect, purposeful pieces in each and every one.

“Personally, I am the most invigorated and inspired the more things I get to be involved with, and the more new things I get to learn about and explore. So whether that’s in beauty, in fragrance, in eyewear, in the stores, I love it. I love to look at something and figure out how it can be improved,” he said. “It’s a very exciting time at Herrera that we’re experiencing such growth. With each one, we have learnings from the past one, but really memorializing these brand codes and making them concrete, and creating these beautiful worlds where all these different products that Herrera produces can live together.”

But there is no moving away from the aesthetic on which Carolina Herrera founded the brand 45 years ago and that Gordon has consistently developed, and his spring 2027 collection will be firmly focused around the Ladies Who Lunch. However, he noted that long ago he learned today’s Herrera woman isn’t broken down into a specific age bracket, geography or body type, but rather a spirit and personality. A woman who likes pieces that are feminine, with vivid colors and bold prints that evoke pulled-together beauty. 

“She’s a leader, brave and confident, and “just like Mrs. Herrera, she’s the one kind of standing in the middle of the room at the party. She’s not a wallflower, and she comes to us for a fantastic pink dress that five years later someone will remember when they recall that party,” he said. 

Monday’s collection will bring this to the forefront through a “celebration of all things Herrera,” he noted, with ingredients from the brand’s very first show and nods to the ‘80s and Park Avenue. Think ruffles, shoulders, polka dots, flowers, glamour, flowers and plenty of joyful clothes and accessories spanning lifestyle and occasionwear. “We try to make clothes that make you feel good and feel beautiful, and this show is all of that with exclamation marks,” Gordon said.

Throughout his tenure, the creative director has dressed numerous celebrities and although Gordon said he doesn’t necessarily create pieces with this sole focus, he’s grateful and excited by the opportunities.

“Since we’re a house that creates a lot of fabulous, special, beautiful pieces, for 45 years we’ve had the opportunity to and privilege to dress some of the world’s most famous, recognizable women,” he said. Most recently, they have included Pamela Anderson, clad in a two-piece look made up of a wool pencil skirt and chiffon blouse, finished with the brand’s popular abstract fan-shaped handbag, at the Venice Film Festival. The look, Gordon said, touched on three things he has enjoyed heightening within the brand over the years: vibrant color, separates and accessories.

When asked what is the most iconic Herrera look, Rubinfeld said it was about wearing the brand and looking and feeling iconic while Gordon claimed Herrera’s signature white shirt, which he evolves and brings freshness to each season, likely including his spring runway. The show will be a big celebration and will be followed by an after party where the company will recreate a favorite spot of the Ladies Who Lunch crowd: the former Mortimer’s restaurant on the Upper East Side.

“When it comes to the show, it’s my favorite part about being in this industry because it’s really the manifestation of all the hard work from the team. I can see in a show all the team members who touch something as part of this process,” Rubinfeld said. “Not only is it the clothes — Wes and his design team did an incredible job — but you have our [New York] atelier and the team that does incredible work, and we’re really excited because everyone’s coming. All of our employees are coming to the show, and I’m just excited to see their faces when they see the clothes and when they see the show. I always get teary because the Carolina brand, for that moment in time, is in the center of the fashion universe. I’m really grateful for that.”