The Best of Virginie Viard at Chanel

Here at theFashionSpot, we’re still reeling from the news that Virginie Viard has departed Chanel as creative director, and our forums remain engulfed in debate regarding the bombshell and unforeseen news. The sudden announcement dropped midnight on Wednesday, a mere three weeks subsequent to Chanel praising Viard’s efforts and reporting a healthy revenue increase of 16% to a staggering $19.7 billion in 2023.

Virginie began her lengthy career at Chanel in 1987, as in embroidery intern to the haute couture atelier and caught the attention of the late Karl Lagerfeld. After a brief stint at Chloé with Lagerfeld in 1992, Viard returned to Chanel in 1997 and became director of Chanel’s creation studio in 2000. Viard succeeded the world-famous designer as creative director upon his passing in 2019. Fast forward to June 2024 and Karl Lagerfeld’s handpicked successor has exited 31 Rue Cambon. As planned, the upcoming Fall 2024 Haute Couture presentation will still go ahead during the Haute Couture Paris Fashion Week festivities. According the BoF, Chanel will rely on the studio team to finish the collection.

Ahead of the unveiling of the collection on June 25, we’re taking the opportunity to look back at some of Virginie Viard’s highlights as Chanel’s first female creative director since Mademoiselle Gabrielle Chanel herself. From Viard’s first solo outing for the Cruise 2020 season (to which a Belle Époque-era train station proved an apt setting) to being transported back to the 90s for Spring 2022 with Viard paying homage to the Chanel by Karl Lagerfeld glory days – scroll further for Virginie Viard’s best collections: