Gabrielle Chanel: an enduring legacy
Chanel confirms the departure of Virginie Viard after a rich collaboration of five years as Artistic Director of Fashion Collections, during which she renewed the House’s codes while respecting Chanel’s creative heritage, and nearly 30 years with the House. Chanel said in a statement, "A new chapter is opening for Chanel Mode. We are confident in the teams’ ability to ensure the continuity of the collections during this period of transition. A new creative organisation for the House will be announced in due course. Chanel would like to thank Virginie Viard for her remarkable contribution to Chanel’s fashion, creativity, and vitality". Viard was appointed Creative Director in 2019 following Karl Lagerfeld’s passing, but she had been with the French Maison for 30 years, serving as Lagerfeld’s right-hand woman.
Image: Installation view of Gabrielle Chanel. Fashion Manifesto, image courtesy of Victoria and Albert Museum, London. Image above: Gabrielle Chanel, 31 rue Cambon, 1937, Paris, Photo: Roger Schall/Condé Nast/Shutterstock.
After a sellout exhibition earlier this year at the V&A, London (Gabrielle Chanel. Fashion Manifesto), Chanel's enduring legacy continues to shape the fashion world.
We owe a great deal to Coco Chanel, an icon of the 20th century. Her legacy is the looks we take for granted: suntans, easy hair, striped t-shirts and sailor pants, cardigan jackets and a scent known by its number 5 her lucky number and the source of her fortune and her freedom.
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