Christian Dior on Monday named Raf Simons its next couturier, and said he would unveil his first collection for the house during Paris Couture Week in July. His official title is artistic director of women’s haute couture, ready-to-wear and accessory collections.
The appointment marks the end of a long search process that has captivated the industry, and itconfirms a report in WWD on Dec. 13 that the fabled French house was closing in on Simons as the successor to John Galliano, who was ousted in March 2011 following racist and anti-Semitic outbursts at a Paris café.
Simons becomes Dior’s sixth couturier. Successors to the founder — who ignited postwar 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 emerged as a front-runner for the Dior job in November after talks with Marc Jacobs, creative director at sister company Louis Vuitton, failed to produce a deal, and after the house had considered a slew of designers both mature and talented. Those said to have been approached include Slimane, Lanvin’s Alber Elbaz and Balenciaga’s Nicolas Ghesquière, along with younger talents including Maxime Simoens, Jason Wu and Alexander Wang.
It is understood the scope of the Dior job — limited to the women’s universe, and with a grandiose boutique design by American architect Peter Marino that is considered to be off-limits to alteration — proved a hindrance to attracting certain candidates, while others were constrained by ownership stakes or iron-tight contracts at their current houses.
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