The house of Chanel announced on June 6 the departure of Virginie Viard, without naming an immediate successor. "Chanel confirms the departure of Virginie Viard after a rich collaboration of five years as artistic director of fashion collections."
Virginie Viard, 62, will leave her position after the presentation of the summer 2024 haute couture collection on June 25 at the Opéra Garnier. Viard, who took over after the death of the legendary Karl Lagerfeld in 2019, had worked alongside him for more than twenty years. Her work, however, allowed Chanel to achieve record sales, peaking at nearly 20 billion dollars in 2023.
Despite her successes, Viard has sometimes been criticized for a lack of risk-taking in her creations. One of her most appreciated collections was last March’s, themed around the Normandy seaside resort of Deauville, dear to Gabrielle Chanel.
The Chanel group thanked Viard for her contribution to the fashion and creativity of the house. Her departure comes in a tense economic context for the luxury world, marked by the uncertainty of the Chinese market and the end of the post-Covid sales boom.
Rumors are still circulating about the possible arrival of Hedi Slimane, currently at Celine, to replace Madame Viard. The fashion world remains in anticipation of the announcement of the next artistic director of the globally renowned house. In the meantime, the haute couture collection will be presented as planned, thus closing the Viard era at Chanel.