Virginie Viard - Designer

[Lola701]

MISS TWEED
Fashion Merry-Go-Round Series: 2-Hedi Slimane prepares to leave Celine

07/04/2024

"A member of his first circle told me that Hedi was leaving but we don't know when," a senior manager at Celine told Miss Tweed on condition of anonymity.


Viard, who stepped into Lagerfeld's big shoes after he passed away in February 2019, embodied continuity. She was his right hand for many years. Viard has powered Chanel's growth and helped it remain one of the industry's most desirable brands. Now 61, the designer may want to move on and enjoy life, sources close the brand say. Or she may be asked to leave to allow Slimane to join and give Chanel fresh impetus and momentum. Slimane would centralize and coordinate the brand's image and communication, which has been going in different directions recently, industry insiders find. Viard sticks to design. Clearly, you sense there are other sensibilities than hers behind the brand's communication beyond its clothes. When Lagerfeld was in charge, he decided everything. All of the brand's messages were coherent.

..........

reminder of this old snipped :-)

Mouais…
When Lagerfeld was in charge, he decided everything regarding fashion. But the aura of his work trickled down to all the departments. And the aura only grew bigger when Jacques Helleu died…

But maybe indeed Hedi will thanks to his vision for fashion, will lead everything else. The statement mentioned « organization » indeed.

Lucia Pica left Chanel and was replaced by 3 women. So maybe Hedi will come with Aaron De Mey, who will become the director for Make-Up. Olivier Polge will stay for the perfumes but already with Hedi and him, they will infuse that kind of linear communication probably needed for Chanel.

My Chanel S.A. confirmed to me that Slimane is indeed leaving (She got the info from Celine’s store manager). Everybody is waiting so hard for the info now lol.

The perspective of Hedi taking over Chanel makes me sad….

I don’t know if the people at Rue Cambon are ready for Hurricane Slimane (if he goes). Peter Marino will be unemployed? Ahaha

 

[aracic]

So, to share my two cents.... I'm just as happy to see her leave as the rest. Good riddance, her lacklustre contribution to fashion will not be missed and will probably not be remembered in future. Hedi Slimane is the worst f*cking designer who could take over Chanel (or any brand for that matter) because that man just does not care. It's all about Hedi, Hedi, Hedi... and Hedi is tired.

This, on the other hand, I'd be intrigued to see...

 

[MulletProof]

(She got the info from Celine’s store manager).

If true, I’m surprised by how such confidential information can be filtered down to people at this level (a store manager, not even corporate).

 

[KoV]

Peter Marino will be unemployed? Ahaha

One can only hope!

 

[cul8tr]

I really hope its not Hedi. I'm really not ready to see rock and roll Chanel with L.A. twist. If it's true than we have to say good bye to savoir-faire and say hello to boring and random clothes.

 

[george5]

Let's face it - A company the size of Chanel that had no problems to realize Karl Lagerfeld's runway productions, with such a large PR spending, will not hesitate to pay a non-compete for any designer they deem worthy to become the true successor to Karl Lagerfeld - We can now safely consider Virginie Viard an interim creative director much in the vain as Bill Gaytten was after John Galliano.

That being said, I don't think Chanel is looking for a turnaround of designers for Chanel much in the way as Kering and LVMH have proven for most of their brands in the last 15 years. And it explicitely mentioned a new "creative organization" which suggests a much-needed overhaul of the houses' visuals, from the art direction down to packaging, advertising imagery and the fashion.

The hiring of Hedi Slimane would make sense in that

- He is one of the very few acclaimed creative directors with a daft eye for art direction - As his Saint Laurent and Celine rebrandings have shown.
- A menswear division at Chanel would become a certain hit for the house, therewith providing a distribution channel so far not tapped into - Again, none of the possible creative directors would arguably be up for this challenge.
- The choice of Hedi Slimane would signal a good balance between renewal but also continuation for the house, with a vision not steering too far from an imprint once laid.
- A hiring of this responsibility would no doubt come with a whole lot of staff in all creative departments to reporting to a global image director the kind of which Hedi Slimane would be named as. Just one look at the fact that Balenciaga's couture is headed by Peter Copping, a veteran designer in his own right, makes it a certain bet that he would bring a decently sized staff to handle the couture part, providing him enough time to grow into his shoes with Haute Couture design.

Thanks for this more formal and informed take and I agree completely; actually I remembered when during an interview from 2013 he said something like: the fashion shows, campaigns, the products themselves, basically everything you see are just the tip of the iceberg.

If Chanel is indeed going for an aesthetic and structural changes then Hedi is the only choice among the active designers these days.

 

[lhhbl]

It’s a great day to be on TFS

 

[Lola701]

One can only hope!

I prefer his stores to Hedi’s…At least his Chanel stores.

 

[Kimihiro]

I prefer his stores to Hedi’s…At least his Chanel stores.

I cannot stomach another iteration of monochromatic Hedi stores. I hate the fluorescent lighting.

 

[MulletProof]

I cannot stomach another iteration of monochromatic Hedi stores. I hate the fluorescent lighting.

.. with the gaudy marble, gold and the fugly, basic btch furniture. 😷

 

[Kimihiro]

.. with the gaudy marble, gold and the fugly, basic btch furniture. 😷

STORE AND FURNITURE DESIGNED BY HEDI SLIMANE

 

[Nimsay]

Whats wrong w P Marino? He dresses really wild but his stores are sumptuous and creative.

 

[MulletProof]

STORE AND FURNITURE DESIGNED BY HEDI SLIMANE

SOTHEBYS MODERN EVENING SALE LOT #49 SHOP B1106 L1 NO3 B BUILDING 10003

 

[Salvatore]

I like Peter !!!

 

[Lola701]

Whats wrong w P Marino? He dresses really wild but his stores are sumptuous and creative.

His stores are very luxurious and have that element of grandeur but because he is doing all those flagships for big brands, they kinda all looking like generic luxury supermarkets.

But nevertheless, at least he is working at the service of the houses.

I don’t know if Hedi can do that thing: work at the service of a house.

He had no reverence for YSL so why would he have it for Chanel? Does the brand really in need of a Slimane treatment? Can he belittle his ego in favor of a house for once?

 

[yslforever]

His stores are very luxurious and have that element of grandeur but because he is doing all those flagships for big brands, they kinda all looking like generic luxury supermarkets.

But nevertheless, at least he is working at the service of the houses.

I don’t know if Hedi can do that thing: work at the service of a house.

He had no reverence for YSL so why would he have it for Chanel? Does the brand really in need of a Slimane treatment? Can he belittle his ego in favor of a house for once?

Marino's agency has more than 400 employees and they work exclusively for Chanel, Dior, LV, Tiffanys and a few others. Meaning they have at least 40 people working full-time for Chanel stores.
That's an entire department that can't be changed by a CD overnight.

 

[TaylorBinque]

look, it is now tested and proven that Chanel can sell anything. Even if it’s ugly. But the brand still has reputation and prestige to keep the aura and position intact. Virginie completely ruined that.

With what’s been said either Jeremy or Marc seems like decent candidate. They have creativity, understand couture and dressmaking, has the camp element and can create a fantasy world. Like the debut runway collection has to bring it like KL shows. That’s what the people need.

Hedi is a dull as it gets. Yes, his Celine definitely can be young Chanel but it is very one note. Look at the brand’s current buzz, without Lisa it has completely died down is Asia. People are not quing up long enough. Chanel is grand, ambitious and spectacular. Hedi would completely make it feels exclusive and cold in the worst possible way. I can’t imagine a B&W campaign by Hedi every goddamn season. His evening wears at Celine are as basic as it gets. That’s a worry. And those total look clause for magazines. Nightmare, nightmare encore!

 

[TerraVera]

Haider (who i have a soft spot for) is the one Karl wanted as a successor. however, in this day and time, i doubt he wants the responsibility, and i seriously doubt his aesthetics will appeal to the bland, style-bankrupt, tastelessness of the current generation of chanel customer. i just won't work. he's an intimate designer and he is not a personality, so it would be hard to build a "cult" around him in the same vein as Karl or even Chanel's problematic self.

i never like Hedi, never will, him at chanel would be a terminal nightmare and ii just rather not entertain the thought.

Jeremy... yes. i like the idea of him at chanel. it could actually really work concomitantly well and the thought of him there excites me. he will provide chanel a much needed iv therapy of energy and vivre that's been sorely missed. now that the clouds are gone, let the sun shine in with Jeremy.

 

[Lola701]

Marino's agency has more than 400 employees and they work exclusively for Chanel, Dior, LV, Tiffanys and a few others. Meaning they have at least 40 people working full-time for Chanel stores.
That's an entire department that can't be changed by a CD overnight.

And it’s facts like that that makes me wonder the necessity of having Slimane coming to such a well oiled machine.
There are rumors that the CEO wants to eliminate the separation between all the operations but even for a control freak like Hedi, it doesn’t seems like an ideal position.

I feel like Chanel is the dream job for a lot of designers but when it comes to Hedi in that equation, it seems more about branding than design.

I still don’t get the fuzz about him for Chanel, really.

 

[PDFSD]

Mouais…
When Lagerfeld was in charge, he decided everything regarding fashion. But the aura of his work trickled down to all the departments. And the aura only grew bigger when Jacques Helleu died…

But maybe indeed Hedi will thanks to his vision for fashion, will lead everything else. The statement mentioned « organization » indeed.

Lucia Pica left Chanel and was replaced by 3 women. So maybe Hedi will come with Aaron De Mey, who will become the director for Make-Up. Olivier Polge will stay for the perfumes but already with Hedi and him, they will infuse that kind of linear communication probably needed for Chanel.

My Chanel S.A. confirmed to me that Slimane is indeed leaving (She got the info from Celine’s store manager). Everybody is waiting so hard for the info now lol.

The perspective of Hedi taking over Chanel makes me sad….

I don’t know if the people at Rue Cambon are ready for Hurricane Slimane (if he goes). Peter Marino will be unemployed? Ahaha

Peter Marino has so many clients and Dior and LV will keep him busy as well :-) but i like his way of doing stores art and textile disneyland for the rich :-) but looking forward to Hedi as well doing chanel if it's True ......somehow i feel Chanel will give us a curveball and do a multi team thing like the 3 ladies doing beauty as you mentioned only to resort few seasons or years later to get one CD to oversee the fashion again lol.

Chanel is the same cut and clothes adapted with a sauce for the seasonal twist, its has roots in realty of dressing yes KL made it more fantasy (open up the brand to many adaptations ) and Virgins brought some reality back into the clothes, Hedi would sharpen the vision and ad youthful edge to it, it's more about chapters than revolution with Chanel i feel.