After five years as the artistic director of fashion collections for the French luxury brand Chanel, Virginie Viard is leaving the company.
The designer, who had spent decades working with Karl Lagerfeld at Chanel, assumed the role after his death in 2019. Only Karl Lagerfeld and Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel herself had previously served as artistic directors for the illustrious business, making her one of the most sought-after and elite positions in the fashion industry, reported CNN.
Chanel confirmed Viard's exit in a press release to CNN, stating that during Viard's leadership, "she was able to renew the codes of the house while respecting the creative heritage of Chanel, and almost thirty years within the house."
Although a replacement has not yet been announced, the brand stated that news would follow "in due course."
Viard "made a remarkable contribution to Chanel's fashion, creativity, and vitality," the company stated in a statement.
Leena Nair, the CEO of Chanel, stated to The Business of Fashion just last month that "the Chanel fashion business has multiplied by 2.2 since Virginie took over from Karl." The ready-to-wear business at Chanel has grown by 23% in the last year, and it has been multiplied by 2.5.
In 2023, the brand's earnings increased by 16 percent to $19.7 billion.
Known for his prolific work at Chanel, Lagerfeld was most recognized for his work at Fendi, where he also served as creative director. Despite being one of the fashion industry's most iconic and prominent figures, his death in 2019 shocked the fashion world.
After interning at Chanel in 1987, Viard went on to work for decades as Lagerfeld's deputy. Their working relationship was so tight that the German designer used to refer to her as "my right arm and my left arm."
Chanel reiterated that the hiring of Viard in 2019 was made "so that the legacy of Gabrielle Chanel and Karl Lagerfeld can live on," thus it was not a surprise.
Over the next few weeks, there will be a lot of conjecture about who will take up the position this time.
The announcement comes after several well-known changes in the sector. After serving as creative director for Valentino for eight years, Pierpaolo Piccioli left the Italian company in March. Alessandro Michele, who was formerly with Gucci, took over in the position. In September of last year, British designer Sarah Burton announced her resignation from Alexander McQueen.
It is anticipated that Viard's final collection for Chanel will be unveiled on the runway during Paris Haute Couture week in June. | BGNES