Maria Grazia Chiuri to be appointed as Dior’s Creative Head

If the rumours are true, Maria Grazia Chiuri will be the first woman creative director in the history of Dior.

Christian Dior are expected to announce Chiuri’s new position after its couture show, set to take place in early July.

Chiuri’s time spent at Valentino, whereby she worked alongside Pierpaolo Piccioli as joint creative director, showed her ability to turn Valentino into one of the industry’s most profitable luxury labels and one that was especially strong in its sales growth. It is unknown as to whether Piccioli will remain as the sole creative head, or whether Valentino will look to replace her. Under their leadership, Valentino became known for its highly romantic designs that were congratulated by many fashion editors and it is expected that she will look to create feminine and gentle collections for the label.

Dior has recently been suffering from declining sales growth and has attributed its poor results to a slowdown in the luxury market. After Raf Simons early departure in October, they have been struggling to find a replacement and the position has remained open ever since.  Since this time, Dior have relied upon Serge Ruffieux and Lucie Meier, members of the design team, to create its A/W ’16 and Cruise ’17 collections.

Despite their efforts, the brand has failed to see an increase in sales and it has been said that they are lacking the grand vision that is undoubtedly expected from such an influential label.

Dior are yet to confirm the news but Chiuri has been linked to the job over recent months. News was speculated after Valentino’s Instagram account captioned an image of Piccioli and Chiuri taking “their final bow” at the menswear show in Milan yesterday.

Maria Grazia Chiuri to be appointed as Dior’s Creative Head