In what has been dubbed the industry’s ‘musical chairs’ era, the creative leads of fashion houses around the world are turning over at breakneck speed. Every other week, it seems we’re reading about another departure, another appointment, and, of course, wading through rumours.
This year alone, we’ve seen Hedi Slimane depart Celine, Kim Jones leave Fendi, Sarah Burton jump from Alexander McQueen to Givenchy, Alessandro Michele head to Valentino, and Haider Ackermann replace Peter Hawkings after just one year at the helm of Tom Ford.
Undoubtedly, one of the most significant changes that shook up the fashion world this year was the sudden exit of Virginie Viard from Chanel in June. When the news first hit, the French luxury house emphasised to the public that a successor would be announced “in due course”. But more than five months later, the role is still vacant.
As group chats continue to light up with theories about who could possibly step up to the throne, there is one name that is repeatedly thrown around: Marc Jacobs. And as it turns out, he’s very interested in the gig.
“There’s only one job I want,” the designer said this week in an interview with the Wall Street Journal, “and I haven’t been asked to do it.”
Jacobs, 61, also admitted he had attempted to grease the wheels by enlisting his good friend Sofia Coppola, who works closely with Chanel, to put in a good word on his behalf.
“Unfortunately, I’m not in charge”, Coppola told the magazine, adding that it would be a “dream” to see Jacobs become the next creative director—a sentiment shared by many thanks to the designer’s flair for theatrics and tasteful provocation that fans have compared to Karl Lagerfeld, who triumphantly steered Chanel from 1983 until his death in 2019.
It’s unclear whether the business would already have approached viable candidates they were interested in or if more time would be needed. If Jacobs were to nab fashion’s most coveted role, it would be the first time an American has held the position at the French house.
Viard stepped down as creative director for Chanel after 30 years at the house—five as its artistic director following the passing of Lagerfeld, with whom she worked very closely. No official reason was provided for her departure, but the Maison acknowledged her contributions to a rich chapter in its legacy.
“Chanel confirms the departure of Virginie Viard after a rich collaboration of five years as artistic director of fashion collections, during which she was able to renew the codes of the house while respecting the creative heritage of Chanel, and almost thirty years within the house,” read a statement shared with Vogue Business. “A new creative organisation will be announced in due course. Chanel would like to thank Virginie Viard for her remarkable contribution to Chanel’s fashion, creativity and vitality.”
This story first appeared on GRAZIA International.
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