Adiós... ARRIVEDERCI, AU REVOIR & GOODBYE

A lot to unpack here as Virginie Viard has officially "stepped down" from Chanel as creative director. When she took over for Lagerfeld in 2019 we all knew she had big shoes to fill, but nobody expected this departure after only five years, especially considering she has worked for Chanel for thirty years. It was shocking that she was absent from her last Chanel show, and the rumors started swirling when news of her departure were rebuffed by Chanel CFO Phillipe Blondiaux who stated their brand strategy and creative direction is unchanged only a few weeks before her surprise exit.

A Chanel spokesperson was quoted as saying, "Viard has been able to renew the codes of the house while respecting the creative heritage of Chanel" which some might view as just recycling without reinventing. Viard has come under fire for not being as creative with her role as some were expecting. Despite all of this, Chanel reported their RTW business has grown by 23% last year and their reported revenue for 2023 totaled 19.7 billion, which is up 16% from 2022. So, what gives?

Nobody is talking about the details and the speculation is running rampant about the possibilities of who will take over. We are all anxiously awaiting with no creative director since June, they are sure to name a replacement soon. I have mixed feelings over Viard leaving. I haven't been a fan of most of her collections since Lagerfeld's passing, but I was excited for her to be the first woman creative director since Coco Chanel herself. Lagerfeld said about Viard before his passing, "She is my right arm and my left arm" and perhaps it was all too much for her as someone thrust into the spotlight that had remained behind the scenes for three decades.