PARIS (AP) — Artistic director Virginie Viard has been replaced Karl Lagerfeld Chanel leaves the French luxury fashion house after her death.
Chanel did not immediately announce a replacement for Viard, 62, who worked with Lagerfeld for more than two decades and eventually took over the role after his death in 2019.
„Chanel confirms the departure of Virginie Viard as artistic director of fashion collections after five years of collaboration,” Chanel said in a press statement, without giving a reason for her departure.
It said Viard had „managed to renew the codes of the house while respecting Chanel’s creative heritage”.
Before he replaced Lagerfeld, Viard held no official role as a designer, but worked closely with the late designer across all of Chanel’s design channels, including couture.
Chanel said it will present the haute couture fall and winter collection as scheduled on June 25 at the Opera Garnier in Paris.
Channel sales have soared under Viard’s tenure, rising 14.6 percent to $19.7 billion last year.
„A new chapter opens in the Chanel mode,” the fashion house said. „We are confident in the teams’ ability to ensure the continuity of collections during this transition. A new creative structure for the council will be announced in due course,” he said.
„Totalny pionier w sieci. Specjalista od piwa niezależny. Ewangelista popkultury. Miłośnik muzyki. Nieprzepraszający przedsiębiorca”.