Chanel designer Virginie Viard leaves fashion’s top job

Chanel has announced the departure of Virginie Viard as the company’s creative director, ending her time overseeing the placement of the fashion house’s logo buttons and handbag chains.

“Chanel confirms the departure of Virginie Viard after a rich collaboration,” officials shared in a statement with Vogue Business on Wednesday. “She was able to renew the codes of the house while respecting the creative heritage of Chanel.”

Outgoing Chanel creative director Virginie Viard receives applause at the Cruise collection show held in the French city of Marseilles last month; Viard with her predecessor Karl Lagerfeld in 2018.Credit: Getty

“Chanel would like to thank Virginie Viard for her remarkable contribution to Chanel’s fashion, creativity and vitality.”

Viard’s five-year stint came after the death of her predecessor Karl Lagerfeld in 2019. Lagerfeld successfully grabbed headlines with hemlines and extravagant clothes for more than 35 years.

The label’s founder, Coco Chanel, dominated haute couture for six decades since she began the company in 1910.

Viard’s departure follows lukewarm reviews of her recent collections. While Chanel has remained highly profitable, with revenues rising by 16 per cent to $US19.7 billion ($29.5 billion) in 2023, its red carpet heat has cooled compared to brands such Loewe, Balenciaga, Schiaparelli and Valentino.

Anna Wintour, Margot Robbie and Phoebe Tonkin in the front row at Chanel in 2019.Credit: Getty

Even the profile of brand ambassador and Barbie star Margot Robbie failed to enhance the appeal of Viard’s haute couture Chanel creations. The hashtag #freeMargot was a familiar sight on social media in 2022 and 2023, with followers encouraging Robbie to leave her Chanel contract following less than flattering reviews of her red carpet appearances.

“I think that Virginie created some beautiful collections and obviously lived and breathed Chanel,” says Naomi Smith, fashion director of Elle and Marie Claire. “With some of her early collections she really tried to give her designs a youthful approach by tapping into French music and cinema culture.”

“You have to salute her for taking on the top job after Lagerfeld. That’s no small task.”

For 25 years, Viard had been Lagerfeld’s constant companion in the studio, having started as an intern 30 years ago.

“She is my right hand and my left hand,” Lagerfeld told Elle in 2018. “Our relationship is essential, doubled by a very real friendship and affection.”

Viard’s collections as creative director were characterised by a shift away from Lagerfeld’s cinematic runway shows, with some critics questioning the appeal of details and silhouettes to younger audiences.

The 2025 Cruise runway show held in the French city of Marseilles last month featured hooded swimsuits with loose black ties, lurid check shorts worn beneath dresses and logo kangaroo pockets on tunics.

These bold choices failed to dominate, or even enter the fashion conversation as successfully as the frequently quoted Coco Chanel and Lagerfeld.

“I hate being in the spotlight,” Viard said while working alongside Lagerfeld. “I like to think of myself as the one who helps his vision come alive.”

Pierpaolo Piccioli having announced his departure from Valentino in March, rumoured to make way for former Gucci designer Alessandro Michele, is an obvious choice as the fourth creative director at Chanel.

Piccioli has enhanced luxury label Valentino’s reputation and revitalised accessories sales, with the red carpet support of Florence Pugh, Rihanna and Lady Gaga.

While Piccioli would be a perfect fit, recent rumours that Hedi Slimane is departing Celine place him in the running for the coveted role. With his ultra-thin silhouettes Slimane has accelerated profits at Dior Homme, Yves Saint Laurent and Celine during his varied career.

Models on the runway for the Chanel 2024-2025 cruise collection show in Marseilles.Credit: Getty

Slimane was also a favourite of Lagerfeld.

When Slimane created ultra-skinny jeans at Dior Homme in the early 2000s, Lagerfeld lost almost 41kgs to successfully tackle the top button.

“A new creative organisation will be announced in due course,” according to the official statement.

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