Inside the biggest job in fashion

Following the sudden departure of Virginie Viard from Chanel , what is arguably the most coveted job in fashion is vacant. As speculation swirls around who will take the creative helm at Chanel, here we take a look at why it’s arguably the ‘holy grail’ of fashion positions.

Viard, who was Karl Lagerfeld’s “right and left hand” as he put it, became artistic director of fashion collections in 2019 following Lagerfeld’s death. Her departure after 30 years — including five in the top role — marks a new chapter for Chanel and for fashion .

Speculation has been swirling about the succession. It seems any name goes, whether the designers are available or not: Hedi Slimane, Sarah Burton, Simon Porte Jacquemus, John Galliano, Marc Jacobs, Nicolas Ghesquière, Pierpaolo Piccioli, Nadège Vanhee-Cybulski. And the change of the guard at one of fashion’s biggest and best-known houses raises a lot of questions. Who will take a bow at the couture show on 25 June? When should we expect the appointment?

Thierry-Maxime Loriot, the curator behind blockbuster exhibitions on legacy houses like Jean Paul Gaultier and Mugler, calls it “the holy grail of fashion positions”. “It gives access not only to the different spheres and aspects of fashion — ready-to-wear and haute couture — but also to the incredible craftsmanship that Chanel always protected and valued,” he says.

Chanel generated $19.7 billion in 2023 , up 16 per cent year-on-year, placing it among the industry’s top performers. “I suspect beauty is at least $4 billion, watches and jewellery likely another $2 billion so that would leave fashion — bags, ready-to-wear, footwear — at $14 billion,” says HSBC global head of consumer and retail research Erwan Rambourg. That would make it the world’s second-largest fashion brand, behind Louis Vuitton.

Here, discover what's next at the most coveted job in fashion.

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Elsewhere in the industry this week:

• After a summer 2023 fuelled by quick-fire trends, followed by an even-faster succession of ‘cores’, have we finally hit a breaking point?
• Where brands belong at Pride — and what it means when they stop showing up at all — is a divisive question as LGBTQ+ rights come under threat.
• On Saturday evening, David Koma will present his first-ever menswear collection at a gallery space in Milan.
• The European Union’s wave of sustainable fashion legislation will have huge implications for suppliers, but compliance won’t come without a change in how the industry operates.