Style / Fashion

Dior Names Maria Grazia Chiuri Artistic Director

The ex-Valentino design head will join the French Maison as its first female couturier.

Jun 24, 2016 | By Shatricia Nair

Anything can happen in the world of fashion and often does. In what seems like a big shake-up in the industry, Dior announces its first ever female artistic director Maria Grazia Chiuri, who was previously from Valentino.

Chiuri, known for her romantic, intricate designs at Valentino, will leave the Italian House and her longtime creative partner Pierpaolo Picciolo, whom she’s worked with since 2008. She will not only fill the vacancy left by Raf Simons since his departure last October, but will also join an esteemed league of designers the likes of Yves Saint Laurent, Marc Bohan, Gianfranco Ferre and John Galliano, who previously helmed the label.

Meanwhile, Swiss design duo Lucie Meier and Serge Ruffieux, who have been holding the fort, will likely move to Dior’s haute couture department, with their debut couture collection showing in Paris on July 4.

The LVMH-owned couture house has reportedly seen a four percent drop in growth in the last quarter, while its turnover is also down by one percent to (EURO)1.39 billion, and the brand is hopeful Chiuri can improve the situation. To be fair though, the overall macro-economic situation is likely to blame and the ripples from Brexit (still a possibility at the time of this announcement) will certainly not help.


 
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