Virginie Viard Steps Down at Chanel
The creative director had started as an intern at the company in 1987.
After thirty years at the French fashion house, creative director Virginie Viard is leaving Chanel. Viard has spent the last five years as the artistic and creative director of the brand, following the death of her predecessor, Karl Lagerfeld, in 2019.
Under Viard’s stewardship of the brand, the business has more than doubled, according to reports, and Viard has continued to embrace working with celebrity brand ambassadors like Kristen Stewart, Keira Knightley, Penelope Cruz, Lily-Rose Depp, Timothée Chalamet, and Riley Keough, among others.
After starting as an intern at the company in 1987, Viard served as Karl Lagerfeld’s deputy for years, making her a natural successor when he died. Other than Lagerfeld, only one other person has held this role prior to Viard: Coco Chanel herself.
The brand hasn’t spoken at all to who might replace Viard in the top spot, but that hasn’t stopped speculation among the fashion community. No matter who is appointed, creative director at Chanel is one of the top jobs in fashion, so any leader would need to have some major credentials. Names like Hedi Slimane of Celine are in the running. Slimane has worked with Dior Homme, Saint Laurent and led Celine as of 2018. Chanel would be a natural fit for the designer. Additionally, Pierpaolo Piccioli has been theorized, as he just left Valentino after 25 years at the brand.
Chanel is looking to make a decision on who will take over the brand as creative director in due course, but the Autumn/Winter 2024/2025 show scheduled for June 25th is still expected to happen. It is expected to be Viard’s last show though.