Chanel’s Artistic Director Virginie Viard has departed after five years in the role.
Viard succeeded German fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld after he died in 2019, with the pair having worked together for nearly two decades.
She has been with Chanel for more than 30 years and joined the embroidery division of the luxury fashion and beauty house when she was 25.
Viard would go on to become the business’ Creative Studio Director in 2000 and was praised by Chanel for “renewing the codes of the House while respecting its creative heritage”.
“Chanel confirms the departure of Virginie Viard after a rich collaboration of five years as Artistic Director of Fashion collections,” a spokesperson for Chanel said.
“Chanel would like to thank Virginie Viard for her remarkable contribution to Chanel's fashion, creativity and vitality.”
The Maison is working on a new structure for its creative organisation which will be “announced in due course”.
“A new chapter is opening for Chanel Mode,” the spokesperson added.
“We are confident in the teams' ability to ensure the continuity of the collections during this period of transition.”
Chanel recently reported sales of nearly US$20bn in 2023, with the standout performance being credited to "double-digit sales growth across each division".
Its Fragrance & Beauty division also "experienced very strong growth across all categories".
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