Dior names Jonathan Anderson as replacement for their first female creative director

USA Today

02-06-2025

Dior names Jonathan Anderson as replacement for their first female creative director
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Anna Delvey struts down the runway in an ankle monitor during NYFW
Anna Delvey walked the runway during New York Fashion Week at the One Night in Bangkok fashion showcase, with her ankle monitor.
Dior is appointing its menswear designer, Jonathan Anderson, as the fashion house's creative director, who will also oversee womenswear designs and haute couture.
The shake-up means he is replacing Maria Grazia Chiuri, who had come over from Valentino and started helming Dior in 2016. Forty-year-old Anderson, founder of the U.K. label JW Anderson and former Loewe creative director, had been named Dior's head of menswear designs in April.
"It is a great honor to join the House of Dior as Creative Director of both women's and men's collections," Anderson wrote in a June 1 Instagram post. "I have always been inspired by the rich history of this House, its depth, and empathy. I look forward to working alongside its legendary Ateliers to craft the next chapter of this incredible story."
Anderson is credited as the costume designer for two award-nominated films from 2024, "Challengers" and "Queer."
In announcing Anderson's expanded role, parent company LVMH's CEO Bernard Arnault called the Northern Irish designer "one of the greatest creative talents of his generation" who will be tasked with "writing the next chapter of the Dior house's history."
Thanks to quirky designs that caught the attention — and praise — of fashion critics, Anderson successfully generated buzz around Loewe over the decade he spent at the Spanish label. Signature styles under his tenure include baggy, barrel-legged jeans and the compact Puzzle handbag.
Chiuri, as the first female creative director at the label, relayed feminist messages and showcased artwork at her runway shows that featured modern renditions of house classics, including Dior's famous, nipped-waist bar jackets. Her designs often added fluidity and sometimes a sporty flair to feminine silhouettes.
Dior joins Chanel and Gucci in high-level shake ups
Anderson is one of several new high-profile designers taking over some of the world's biggest fashion labels amid a wide-sweeping industry overhaul, including Chanel and Gucci, over the past year.
This time last year, Chanel's artistic director, Virginie Viard, departed after nearly three decades at the fashion house without announcing a successor. Months later, Matthieu Blazy was named the artistic director of fashion activities. (Louise Trotter replaced him at Bottega Veneta.)
In February, creative director Sabato De Sarno abruptly left Gucci before Milan Fashion Week. Demna, formerly of Balenciaga, stepped into the role in March.
In May, Balenciaga revealed Pierpaolo Piccioli as its new creative director. The appointment came more than a year after Valentino said he would be stepping aside after two decades.
The sector is struggling to pull out of a prolonged slump, weighed down by China's property crisis and economic uncertainty in the United States. Top luxury houses are betting on a new design direction to help rekindle interest from shoppers, who have pulled back on fashion as prices rise.
Contributing: KiMi Robinson, USA TODAY