Designer Virginie Viard walks on the catwalk
Chanel has announced the departure of creative director Virginie Viard after five years.
The French fashion house will announce a replacement “in due course” to oversee its luxury goods empire.
Viard, 62, oversaw designs during the pandemic, when sales of her bags and jewelry soared, and took over when German fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld died in 2019. She had worked at the brand for three decades.
English fashion designer Sarah Burton, who designed the Princess of Wales’s wedding dress when she married Prince William in 2011, has been tipped for the role. Also in the mix are Celine creative director Hedi Slimane and outgoing Valentino creative director Pierpaolo Piccioli.
It comes as the industry faces weaker demand. Chanel defied the pessimism of its rivals and made £5 billion in profits last year, up 10.9 percent on the previous year. The billionaire family that owns it, the Wertheimers, have pocketed £9.7bn in the last three years.