Raf Simons Leaving Christian Dior; Maria Chiuri Rumored In

[Benn98]

Raf Simons Bids Farewell to Dior
By VANESSA FRIEDMAN and ELIZABETH PATON.
OCT. 22, 2015

In its second major creative upheaval in the last five years, Christian Dior, the Parisian couture house that is the cornerstone of the LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton luxury empire, announced on Thursday that the artistic director Raf Simons was leaving the brand. No replacement has been named.

According to a statement from Mr. Simons, who is also the founder of a namesake men’s wear brand based in Antwerp, Belgium, the decision was “based entirely and equally on my desire to focus on other interests in my life, including my own brand, and the passions that drive me outside of my work.”

That contribution centered not only on Mr. Simons’s ability to take the heritage couture house into the 21st century, constantly updating classic shapes such as the Bar jacket with contemporary materials and silhouettes, but also on a sense of personal renewal he brought to the brand after the bruising and very public firing of the former creative director John Galliano for anti-Semitic comments in 2011.

“Raf was the calm after the storm,” said Marigay McKee, a luxury consultant and the former president of Saks Fifth Avenue. “I am really shocked. It was going so well.”

Mr. Simons’s departure from Dior comes just weeks after another well-known designer, Alexander Wang, produced his last collection for a rival Parisian house, Balenciaga.

As industry rivals elsewhere found themselves grappling with a Chinese economic slowdown and foreign exchange volatility, consumer enthusiasm for the Dior brand appeared to grow unabated, something repeatedly attributed by executives to the vision of Mr. Simons. In the period from July 1 to Sept. 30 this year, Christian Dior Couture revenue rose 5 percent at constant exchange rates to 471 million euros, or $524 million, compared with the same quarter last year. For the most recent full fiscal year ended June 30, revenues at Christian Dior Couture were up 18 percent, to €1.77 billion.

“I think that in a short time he has really accomplished a lot,” said Stefano Tonchi, the editor of W Magazine, citing warm reviews not only from the news media but also from buyers. “He has really brought Dior into the contemporary conversation in a certain way it was not with John, the last years with John.”

The news Thursday came as a surprise to the fashion world, following by only a few weeks Mr. Simons’s well-received Dior spring 2016 women’s wear collection, shown in a courtyard in the Louvre before an audience that included Rihanna as well as numerous clients in items from the most recent Dior cruise collection, along with Mr. Arnault and his family.

Mr. Simons was not seen as unhappy in his post, though according to a person familiar with the negotiations who asked to remain anonymous, his contract had expired in May and discussions had been taking place since then.

Mr. Simons reportedly felt stymied by his lack of ability to affect the shape of the brand beyond the collections themselves (he was unable, for example, to redesign the stores), though he was also known to have a particularly amicable relationship with Mr. Toledano.

“As a friend, I feel sad for Sidney, because he invested a lot emotionally in Raf, and it is hard to see the person you have been supporting and coaching and helping leave,” said Ralph Toledano, president of the Fédération Française de la Couture, du Prêt-à-Porter des Couturiers et des Créateurs de Mode, the French fashion trade association. “But Dior is a very powerful brand. Clearly, Raf helped with that. He did a great job. But Dior will survive without him.” (Ralph Toledano is not related to Sydney Toledano.)

Luca Solca, head of global luxury goods analysis at Exane BNP Paribas, pointed to the example of Hedi Slimane at the rival brand Saint Laurent, a designer known for not simply making the clothes for the brand but also for photographing the ad campaigns and creating the furniture in the stores as the new paradigm for many peers. “It seems to me many people are looking at Saint Laurent in awe,” Mr. Solca said. “The bar has become very high for creative directors to emulate that.”

Mr. Simons, who is Belgian and trained as an industrial designer before starting his men’s wear brand in 1995, joined Christian Dior in 2012 after six years as creative director at Jil Sander, his first women’s wear job. Though he maintained his men’s wear brand throughout his time at both Sander and Dior, analysts estimate it has annual revenues under €10 million.

Speculation now centers on who will be named the next Dior creative director, and a search has just begun. Though the brand declined to set a time frame for its choice, there is some urgency because the luxury industry as a whole is suffering from slowing sales and a challenging global consumer climate, and a house without a creative identity is at risk.

The next pre-fall collection will be designed by the in-house team and shown quietly in January in Paris.

Correction: October 22, 2015
An earlier version of this article referred incorrectly to the status of negotiations between Dior and Raf Simons. They expired in May, they are not ongoing.

Source: Nytimes.com

 

[LostInNJ]

Good lord people need to stop with that kind of attitude. When we have information but can't completely reveal them, there is a REASON behind it. That's nice enough of Mutterlein to give hints, so let's be thankful and leave it at that.

Obviously I am aware that there is a reason behind not being able to reveal certain bits of info, but coming into a thread to basically say, 'I know what's going on, but I won't tell you' just doesn't make any sense. Instead, we have a 9 page thread of pure speculation. So, I suppose I'll just excuse myself from this thread until concrete news is reported elsewhere, since, all we will get here are these nice hints that we are granted.

 

[andypolanco]

What about the Olsens

 

[Fashionstuff]

The thing about Dior is that it's the only house in french fashion that has always been about excess. Galliano was their perfect designer because everything was just big with him.
Raf Simons wasn't the perfect fit but his tenure was needed because he had a different and fresh approach of Dior. Basically, his tenure was what Bill Gaytten's tenure was supposed to be: a cleanser.

People, remember that ego is what drive designers.
It doesn't matter that Riccardo is dark and all that. Dior is the biggest fashion house in the group.
I really believe that Riccardo will take Dior. Sydney Toledano was at his NYC Givenchy show...

We have so many unemployed big designers now: Stefano P(in Womenswear at least), Frida G, Olivier T.

My thing with Olivier T even with all his talent is that he has never proved himself to be a commercial force. I don't think that Bernard Arnault will take that risk again after what happened with Lacroix.
Pucci seems to be in trouble space and i don't think he will take that risk with Givenchy. I really don't think that the name Givenchy is strong enough to allowed a designer that failed in "commerce".

Frida Giannini can reinvent herself like Philo did. She was great at accessories and can maintain Givenchy where it is.

Pilati is a great designer but he is too intellectual for Dior or Givenchy. He needs to work for a house like Hermes or Lanvin.

I really don't believe that Phoebe Philo will leave Celine anytime soon. She recreated the brand at her image. She is Celine and her success allowed her to work in the best conditions ever. Not all designers wants to be big!

And Karl Lagerfeld. Can we stop putting him in those discussions
He was very instrumental in LVMH buying Fendi as (remember) he created the Fendi logo and earned a lot of money from that. He will never leave Fendi or Chanel. He said many times that he has lifetime contracts.

oh! SACAI at Givenchy!!! It could be good!

Agree 100%
I hope Tisci will be at the helm of Dior. He is a perfect for Dior, he i similar t Galliano, the both of them seems to have strong personality and both of them have the feeling of high fashion, of haute couture. IMO.

 

[CholoChic]

It is interesting how Dior showed us the backstage of the business behind the petites mains. For a moment I have the feeling that Dior has become a monster eating the soul of his designers.

I understand Simons now, he wanted to make a Dior of his totally own, making a whole change from the needles to the walls colours and "they" just told him: "No, just make soldable clothes, Raf!". It is like they didn't want to let you play your favourite music in Dior headquarters.

In the next chapter: Bill Gaytten is thinking about a collection to make Mr. Toledano fall in love, he, maybe deserves Dior.

 

[liaa]

Good news..
I think Dior deserves a better designer. Most celebrities who wore his creations looked really bad (especially Marion Cotillard).

 

[disco54]

Phoebe Philo IS Celine , she is not going to leave that brand because it allows her to balance her family/personal life. Plus she is on her A game at that house.

Tisci the obvious choice, but the Kardtrashians will also come along too.


Good Riddance to Raf, he was a total misfit at the house and made it too clinical and boring.

Now they need to get rid of Slimane at YSL now that will be delight to my ears.

 

[gossiping]

Yikes. Are those really his "best 20"? Most of them are terrible. Maybe like 5 that should be anywhere near a list like that. He was even worse for Dior than I thought.

jennifer lawrence you mean classic example of why their ads with celebs don't work

 

[dior_couture1245]

Tisci would be such a backwards choice. I'd really hate it. It'd be the least progressive way of thinking. In a certain sense, because it'd be so obvious, I hope Dior doesn't pick him. If they look towards the huge success of the Kering group in appointing Michele at Gucci and all the buzz in making a risky choice like Demna for Balenciaga, it may end up looking rather out of step to appoint Tisci at Dior. Clearly the industry wants and needs new voices in fashion...

It's a tough position, because the house demands so much - Fall/Winter RTW and Couture, Spring/Summer RTW and Couture, Pre-Fall, Resort...6 collections a year! That's a lot! So I can see why Tisci would be a safe bet since he makes as many collections at Givenchy, but, man...Tisci has been a really terrible designer for the past several years...and to think of him working at a brand with an even bigger platform is just...well, it'd be so disappointing. What would he bring to the table at Dior? Religion/sex/darkness in a bar suit? His references at this point are so one dimensional and stale.

 

[Deleted member 130879]

Tisci would be the death of Dior. His designs as of late are the tackiest. Worst? Only Balmain.

I want Olivier so bad. Was just checking his instagram he really can do it. He does dramatic designs without being over the top. He knows how to balance. Galliano never did it and that's why people think he is Dior: because people don't even remember the real Dior anymore. I would hate to see another dramatic theatrical over the top designer at Dior. And Tisci is becoming such a Diva... But remember, I can think of at least two other big designers that are unemployed (aka with only their brands) right now...

 

[Salvatore]

NO to Tisci or Giannini at Dior. That would be atrocious and horrible. These two are not right for the job.

Dries Van Noten would most likely not do it, but that would be outstanding !

 

[gossiping]

i'd like to see someone relatively new or at their own small brand do it

tisci is perfect where he is.

 

[TheoG]

If they did go that route like Kering has and select someone with buzz. Maybe like someone like Simon Jacquemus, that would definitely be a shock and people would probably eager to see what he would do at Dior. Its a reach, he's too young and doesn't have the Haute Couture experience.

Tisci seems to be the safest option, he's too embedded with Givenchy to me. Its just not exciting.

 

[george5]

I really don't want Tisci at Dior too. As said before, He ran out of steam long time ago and the only thing left to offer is the Chola girl with her bejeweled face but this time She'll be wearing a Bar suit instead of a dog/bambi/virgin mary sweatshirt. If He's the chosen one, I hope He can prove me wrong.

 

[jescajade]

Tisci for Dior sounds completely wrong for me. He is like done with the fashion world, no? He run out of ideas a while ago and he is burnt as a designer. I really doubt it's him.

I doubt Philo would accept so much work...

I doubt they will go for an unknown...

In my wishful thinking I imagine Ghesquière doing incredible Haute Couture shows and beyond chic and urban rtw ones. But that will never happen.

I don't know and I'm curious. I need to know.

yes, yes, and yes, Tisci would be a nightmare, Philo wouldn't sign up to that sort of pressure, Ghesquière - that would be the dream, I don't think it's too far fetched to think he might get the job, it's still LVMH. Personally I think he'd be better off at Dior than Vuitton, can you imagine how he'd rework the archives?! find out soon enough...

 

[constanceMafioso]

Thank God ! Hope I can start liking Dior again because frankly, I quickly drifted away from the brand since Raf took over and it only took his first collection to do that.

He was clearly struggling and some of his collections reflected that. Most of the time it was painful and unimaginative.

 

[JessRubik]

Please no Tisci at Dior! I can't imagine it

I second Dries Van Noten at Dior, I think it would be interesting. My ideal canidate is Oliver but I think he's still working on personal projects.

 

[Lola701]

I don't really get all the hate for Tisci. He is really talented.
Plus, i'm really tired of him at Givenchy. I feel like he can't bring anything fresh to the house and the best way to reinvent himself is to work with a house with a much more defined aesthetic.

I mean, we all felt like Raf was good for Dior after his last 2 collections at Jil Sander. Before that, no one could have ever dreamed of him at Dior.
Phoebe Philo wasn't the minimalism queen before joinning Celine.

I will also hate to see the Kardashian and his gimmicky "Gang" but as Kim is already wearing Raf's Dior, i don't mind.

Dior cannot afford to have another designer who leave after 3 years and i really don't want to have more years of Riccardo at Givenchy.

 

[Wintergreen]

 

[saucer-like]

I see that Christmas has come early.

I'm living for these shake-ups, there are a few other houses that need it. It'll be exciting to see where Raf is headed and who will take over at Dior.