Virginie Viard: goodbye to Chanel. The rumors speak of arguments and in the meantime she expects to know the name of the successor

Now this is a bolt from the blue. With a statement released on Thursday night, Chanel announced that, after 5 years, Virginie Viard will no longer be the creative director of the maison. The autumn/winter 2024 haute couture collection, scheduled for the Paris fashion shows on June 25th, is confirmed, although no other details are known for now. The new creative structure of the brand will be communicated in the coming weeks, as can also be read in the release, in which the maison thanks the designer for the extraordinary work done. At the origin of the sudden farewell there would be a furious argument between Viard and Bruno Pavlovsky, president of Chanel fashion, at the height of which the creative would have abandoned the Maison and never returned.

A sudden exit, that of the 62-year-old designer originally from Lyon, who until now seemed immovable: only a few weeks ago, the CEO Leena Nair had openly praised Viard for the excellent results of the brand, which had recorded an increase in sales of 16 percent in 2023, with a turnover reaching 20 billion euros, also thanks to the significant increases in the prices of bags and accessories. But it wasn’t just a question of numbers: what made the designer’s position solid was also the deep bond between her and Karl Lagerfeld, who had defined her as his “right arm and left arm”. Upon the latter’s passing in 2019, the owners of the brand, the brothers Alain and Gérard Wertheimer, therefore chose Viard precisely to honor the work of the great creative, continuing in the name of continuity.

In reality, Viard immediately revealed herself to be more pragmatic and less fond of spectacle than her mentor. Strengthened by a profound knowledge of maison, which she joined in 1987 never to leave it again (except for a period at Chloé, again with Lagerfeld, from 1992 to 1997), she immediately embodied the truest side of the brand. His first collections were a success in store, with clothing sales higher than ever. However, in recent seasons, things had changed a bit: it was clear the designer’s attempt to address a younger audience, which created a certain confusion, and diluted her message which was initially so clear and direct. It is also true that the designer’s desire to stop at 62, after a life spent in the atelier, would be more than legitimate.

At this point the most important designer hunt of the last 40 yearsalso because the role of creative guide for Chanel has always been outside the market, between Lagerfeld who relaunched the maison in 1983 and Viard who immediately succeeded him in 2019. The most quoted entry at the moment is coming Hedi Slimane, which is currently in force at Celine, but which very, very insistent rumors have already been out of the brand for some time (furthermore, the LVMH brand would already have a new creative director ready, the American Michael Rider). Furthermore, it should be remembered that it was Lagerfeld himself who defined Slimane as his ideal heir, making no secret that he would have wanted to see him at Chanel. It is at least plausible that, once again, the Wertheimer brothers heed Lagerfeld’s ideas. Finally, the rumors always underline the fact that Pierpaolo Piccioli, after leaving Valentino, has not yet announced his future but it seems unlikely that he will land at Chanel. At this point, he just has to wait.