Virginie Viard is leaving, so who’s next for Chanel?
Everyone’s got their hot take on who will replace Virginie Viard at Chanel.
While Chanel sales are up, speculation is that’s more down to price hikes and beauty purchases than Virginie’s designs (I can verify Chanel’s skincare is the best!).
The online criticism of Virginie’s collections can’t be good for brand image, even if the heritage is seemingly bulletproof.
Many people – understandably – hark to Karl Lagerfeld’s Chanel as the benchmark and look to a return to that golden era of wit and spectacle.
But I feel Chanel is looking for a reset. The recent mega-popular exhibitions cementing Gabrielle Chanel’s original ‘garconne’ ethos, showcasing her chic, pared back designs (and even influential beauty packaging) helped to restate the timeless pre-Karl vision of Chanel. The brand needs someone who understands the house codes, yet can inject youthful modernity to boost its heritage and thus appeal to a cross-generational audience.
My money’s on Hedi Slimane. He has history with the brand as a close friend of Karl, and he clearly knows the codes. He has an innate understanding of youth culture and can bring his network of arty tastemakers to the brand campaigns, while keeping the collections highly desirable.
When can we place our bets?
WORDS: Disneyrollergirl / Navaz Batliwalla
IMAGES: Celine AW24
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7 June, 2024 @ 11:05 am
Noooo ! Not Hedi — he’s a one-trick pony and hasn’t got the breadth of vision to support a house like Chanel. Maybe foi Beauty packaging / advertising but certainly doesn’t have the aesthetics to create the kind of broad-based collections with such a defining brand image as Chanel. I think Pierpaolo Piccioli has that vision.
7 June, 2024 @ 11:14 am
Thanks Sue! PP is my second choice. Who do you think the owners will go for though?
7 June, 2024 @ 5:32 pm
I agree Piccioli is a great contender, and a change is definitely needed. I believe Viard was mostly targeting the very young woman, leaving relatively out the more mature of us. I also see the big return of the French riviera style (has it ever gone out of fashion?) – think sailor shirts, wide leg trousers, clothes which move with you and follow you not just on holiday. It takes someone like Piccioli to give that style a due update and tons of class, and he can do it, as I think femininity with an edge and lots of attention to detail and material is what has always defined his style.
7 June, 2024 @ 5:36 pm
Thanks Carla!