Dior Has A New Creative Director
It is official, Christian Dior has a new couturier. The French house named Raf Simons its new artistic director of haute couture, women’s ready-to-wear and accessories collections.Simons is to unveil his first collection for the house during Paris Couture Week in July, as announced by WWD this morning.
Despite being the big news of the day, - possibly the month or even the year - it was something expected as the rumors got stronger when the Belgian designer left Jil Sander. This official confirmation puts an end to rumors of who is leaving and who is entering.
The report in WWD on Dec. 13 that the French house was closing in on Simons as successor to John Galliano, who was ousted in March 2011 following racist and anti-Semitic outbursts at a Paris café is finally confirmed.
Simons becomes Dior’s sixth couturier. Successors to the founder — who ignited post-war Paris with his extravagant, full-skirted New Look, and whose brief career ended with his death in 1957 — also included Yves Saint Laurent, Marc Bohan and Gianfranco Ferré. Simons is also the second Belgian designer to arrive at Dior in recent years. Kris Van Assche has been at the helm of Dior Homme men’s wear since 2007.
This is a very interesting move from the Christian Dior board as the belgian designer has become a household name thanks to his modern-minimalism. The complete opposite of the over the top extravaganza with hints of retro -glamour with modern twists that made John Galliano a fashion legend that has gained several fans on his 15 years at the helm of Christian Dior.
This official announcement may have put an end to several speculations that kept us very entertained, but the show does not end there as we are expecting what is the belgian designer bringing to the french house and how the buyers and Galliano fans will react to the new face of the legendary brand. And as WWD also reports The appointment is also sure to ignite a fresh rivalry between Dior and Yves Saint Laurent, which just named Hedi Slimane its creative director. Slimane was the designer of Dior Homme from 2000 to 2007.
Only time will tell how everything will work out in the end, but one thing is certain, the fashion industry is never dull and finds a way to keep us amused beyond its fantastic creations and usual business.
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