Dior, Maria Grazia Chiuri leaves creative direction
The Italian designer was the first woman to lead the French fashion house and did so for almost a decade. Rumours want Jonathan Anderson, newly appointed creative director of Dior Homme, in her place
2' min read
2' min read
The long-awaited announcement has arrived: Maria Grazia Chiuri, the first woman to head the maison Christian Dior, has left her post. The rumours, after all, had been persistent for months and only two days ago, on 27 May, her last exit after the Dior Cruise 2025 fashion show in Rome had all the air of a definitive departure from the company with which she has worked for the past nine years.
"The Maison Dior wishes to express today its deepest gratitude to Maria Grazia Chiuri after a wonderful collaboration as creative director of the women's collections since 2016," reads a note sent by the company, which is part of the Lvmh luxury group.
Delphine Arnault, president and chief executive officer of Christian Dior Couture, spoke of "extraordinary work", emphasising the feminist perspective that has always been an integral part of Chiuri's outlook on fashion: "I extend my warmest thanks to Maria Grazia Chiuri, who, since joining Dior, has done an extraordinary job with an inspiring feminist perspective and exceptional creativity, all permeated by the spirit of Monsieur Dior, which has enabled her to design highly desirable collections. She has written a fundamental chapter in the history of Christian Dior, contributing significantly to its extraordinary growth and becoming the first woman to lead the creation of women's collections".
The designer bid farewell to the Maison with this message: "After nine years, I am leaving Dior, delighted to have received this extraordinary opportunity. I would like to thank Monsieur Arnault for placing his trust in me and Delphine for her support. I am particularly grateful for the work done by my teams and ateliers. Their talent and experience have enabled me to realise my vision of an engaged women's fashion, in close dialogue with different generations of female artists. Together, we have written a significant chapter of which I am immensely proud".
Maria Grazia Chiuri, who was appointed creative director of Dior after having been (together with Pierpaolo Piccioli, freshly appointed head of Balenciaga) first the right-hand man and then the heir of Valentino Garavani, could be replaced by Jonathan Anderson, who in mid-April was appointed creative director of Dior Homme in place of Kim Jones. The Northern Irish creative - who in the last decade has made the fortune of the Spanish brand Loewe, also in the Arnault galaxy - could thus bring together the two 'souls' of Christian Dior, the feminine and the masculine, under a single creative direction. According to rumours, Maria Grazia Chiuri's professional future could include the creative direction of Fendi, now held by Silvia Venturini Fendi after the departure of Kim Jones last October.
