In news announced late last night (5 June 2024), Virginie Viard is set to leave her role as artistic director of Chanel. Her five-year tenure began after the death of Karl Lagerfeld in 2019, having worked with the German designer for over two decades prior. She was often called his right hand.
‘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 30 years within the house,’ a brief statement from the house read.
Virginie Viard to exit Chanel after three decades
Virginie Viard takes her bow at the Chanel Cruise 2025 show in Marseille
Viard’s tenure – which has been one of enormous commercial success, with sales reaching close to $20 billion in 2023 – was defined by a breezy, youthful femininity, which often looked back to the life and designs of house founder Gabrielle ‘Coco’ Chanel for inspiration. After the dramatic show sets of Lagerfeld – who might construct an airport or supermarket in the Grand Palais – Viard favoured subtly and intimacy, at one point holding a show on the banks of the River Seine.
Her last collection was the house’s Cruise show in Marseille, held on the rooftop of Cité Radieuse, Le Corbusier’s 1952-completed ’vertical city’ in May. ‘Marseille is a city that puts me in touch with my emotions. I tried to capture its power of attraction, its breath of fresh air, and to convey the energy that reigns there,’ she said. Her Métiers d'art show was held last December in Manchester seeing Viard inspired by the energy of the city’s music scene. ‘It incites to creation,’ she said.
As yet, her replacement has not been announced, with Chanel saying they will be revealed ’in due course’. The house’s upcoming haute couture show is still slated to take place on June 25 2024 in Paris.
-
Gucci’s new book is a love letter to London and its contradictionsPart of the ‘Gucci Prospettive’ series, Sabato De Sarno has drafted Charlene Prempeh and Lewis Dalton Gilbert of A Vibe Called Tech to curate an expansive portrait of their home city of London through a collage of artworks, photography and text
-
Teenage Engineering introduce the OP-XY sequencer, an ode to Teutonic sounds and styleA dynamic performance sequencer, the Teenage Engineering OP-XY is the latest highly desirable piece of kit from the Swedish electronics firm
-
Expandable Trailers delivers instant luxury accommodation on wheelsThe new Expandable Mansion is a truckable structure that'll transform the remotest location into a restful retreat
-
Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi almost become lovers in Luca Guadagnino’s Chanel No.5 campaign: watch the filmMargot Robbie and Jacob Elordi front the new Chanel No.5 campaign in a film directed by Luca Guadagnino and soundtracked by Daft Punk
-
The breathtaking runway sets of S/S 2025, from beanbag animals to a twisted living roomWallpaper* picks the best runway sets and show spaces of fashion month, which featured Bottega Veneta’s beanbag menagerie, opulence at Saint Laurent, and artist collaborations at Acne Studios and Burberry
-
Why solid soap is the most pleasurable object to bathe withSolid soap provides a tactile bathing experience like no other. Hannah Tindle explores why in the September 2024 Style Issue of Wallpaper*, with soaps by Chanel, Celine, Diptyque, and more, photographed by Sophie Gladstone
-
The best sunscreens for your face, selected by the Wallpaper* beauty editorsThis list of the best sunscreens for your face has been compiled by Wallpaper* editors Mary Cleary and Hannah Tindle, who are highly selective about SPF
-
Inside Karl Lagerfeld’s extraordinary Paris library and bookshop, a haven for the bibliophileWe take an exclusive tour of Karl Lagerfeld’s Paris bookshop and library 7L, which is keeping the legendary fashion designer’s vision alive with a scintillating programme of cultural events
-
Inside the Chanel Open-Sky Laboratory, where 2,000 varieties of camellia flowers bloomThe Chanel Open-Sky Lab at Gaujacq is one of the house’s five sustainable research centres for its beauty and skincare lines. Mary Cleary finds out more from the team who work there
-
Chanel Beauty Summer 2024 is here, with fantasy florals and insect green nailsThe Chanel Beauty Summer 2024 collection by Ammy Drammeh is inspired by a fantasy garden and worn by Lily-Rose Depp in a new campaign
-
Women’s Fashion Week S/S 2025: what to expectNext week sees the arrival of Women’s Fashion Week S/S 2025, with stops in New York, London, Milan and Paris. Here, our comprehensive guide to the month, from Alaïa’s arrival in New York to Alessandro Michele’s Valentino debut
