After five years as creative director and over than 30 at Chanel, Viard leaves the position
The fashion world was caught up by surprise this Wednesday evening when they got to know Virginie Viard is leaving Chanel. After five years, the news comes as a relief to the fans of the good and old Chanel.
Virginie assumed the Chanel creative director role after Karl Lagerfeld passing away in 2019. The designer had been working with the German iconic designer at Chanel for decades, so her name to take the position was already expected. She respected Coco and Karl’s legacy at Chanel.
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Chanel started to become one of the least anticipated shows of the fashion season. All the magic created by Karl Lagerfeld, who brought a rocket, an airport, and even a waterfall to the runway, was replaced by simple runways and designs by Virginie Viard. On social media, fashion fans were no longer excited about Chanel.
Despite all the criticism, Chanel saw a significant increase in sales during the Virginie Viard era. In 2023, the company reported revenues of $19.7 billion, marking a growth of over 75 percent compared to 2018.
The successor? Still to be announced. Pierpaolo Piccioli, Sarah Burton, Jeremy Scott, and Hedi Slimane are some of the names expected to take the position.