The house of Dior has been around for almost 70 years, and it’s finally getting its first female creative director. Maria Grazia Chiuri officially left Valentino yesterday (though the departure was an open secret for several weeks before) and, as expected, has landed at the French brand. According to a release from Dior, her first collection will be shown at Paris Fashion Week on September 30. “Maria Grazia Chiuri’s talent is enormous and internationally acclaimed,” said LVMH chief Bernard Arnault in a statement. “She will bring her elegant and modern vision of the Dior woman, seamlessly attuned to the heritage and the codes defined by Monsieur Dior.”
In an interview with the Business of Fashion, Dior CEO Sidney Toledano added that Chiuri’s design pragmatism and her accessories chops (Rockstuds, anyone?) helped her clinch the role. He said that under Chiuri, the house “will be different. We have our codes, absolutely, and we have our values about the excellence, the savoir faire, the silhouette. But Dior is also a house where you have to take l’air du temps and project it for the future.”