Now that her last Valentino Haute Couture fashion show has come to a close, Maria Grazia Chiuri has found a new luxurious nesting place. A little birdie told us, it’s Dior.
Sidney Toledano, chief and executive officer of Christian Dior, informs WWD that Chiuri will be the French fashion house’s seventh couturier. Toledano explains, “The idea of hiring a woman is something I had in mind, and this woman was the right one.”
As we are still reeling from Chiuri’s Shakespearean couture at this year’s Paris Haute Couture Week, rest assured Dior, thou hath maketh the right decision.
Chiuri’s departure from the Valentino maison also marks the disintegration of her 17-year-long partnership with fellow couturier, Pierpaolo, Piccioli, who continues on as the sole creative director of the Roman brand.
“Valentino and the people with whom I work with are a great part of my life. My decision of bringing forward the creative guide of this maison is driven by the strong passion that triggers my work and by the desire of continuing to express here my stylistic vision,” Piccioli released in a statement.
Chiuri is not leaving without immense gratitude for founder Valentino Garavani and his business partner, Giancarlo Giammetti, whom she thanked on Thursday for allowing her to share such as important part of her life with them. Chiuri concluded, positively, that she was “ready to embark on a new professional challenge.”
Her new adventure commences next week as Chiuri officially becomes the artistic director of Dior’s haute couture, accessories and ready-to-wear collections. In just a short timeframe, the designer will debut her first collection for the brand. Chiuri’s first ready-to-wear line for Dior will hit the runway on Septemeber 17th.
The house of Dior is hopeful of the change Chiuri will bring to the brand as their newest and first ever female creative director. Toledano tells WWD, “She was really challenged and excited by the house of Dior. She has a global understanding of the values of the house.”
Bernard Arnault, chairman of Dior, concurs as he calls Chiuru’s talent “enormous and internationally acclaimed. She will bring her elegant and modern vision of the Dior woman, seamlessly attuned to the heritage and the codes defined by Monsieur Dior.”
Internationally acclaimed, has a global understanding and the first woman to ever take the Dior throne. No pressure, Chiuri. Well luckily, she doesn’t feel any as she begins work for one of the top fashion houses of the world, which until recently was creatively headed by the Belgium designer, Raf Simmons.
“It is a great honor to be joining the house of Dior; I measure the tremendous responsibility of being the first woman in charge of the creation in a house so deeply rooted in the pure expression of femininity,” said Chiuri in a statement, “The endless wealth of its heritage continues to be a constant source of inspiration for fashion, and I cannot wait to express my own vision.”
We wait anxiously to see what the Rome-based designer will do as she spreads her wings to Paris, bringing with her Dior’s first taste of the feminine touch.
