Who Will Replace John Galliano at Christian Dior?
There's only one question on anyone's lips today: What now, Dior? Who will take the reigns of the fabled design house, leading it away from the current scandal?
The right answer could win you a small fortune—bookies are taking bets. And industry insiders, editors, fashion writers, and designers are all waiting with bated breath to find out if their pick is the chosen one.
The front-runner—per the betting crowd—is YSL's Stefano Pilati, who just last week was prey to rumors about his own job status. (His odds are 11 to 8, British Vogue reports.)
Other insiders are putting their money on Givenchy's Riccardo Tisci. "Tisci is well connected in the Paris fashion world, with close ties to French Vogue," The Guardian said. "Were Tisci to land the role, it would be a case of history repeating itself: Galliano was at Givenchy before getting the Dior job."
Suzy Menkes backed that sentiment, saying, "So it is natural that the name of Riccardo Tisci, the current designer at Givenchy, Italian-born and British-trained, is considered high on the list of possible replacements at Dior." (The bookie odds for Tisci aren't listed, so place your bets at your own risk.)
Meanwhile, Racked heard from an inside source that "the latest industry rumors peg Givenchy's Riccardo Tisci as Galliano's replacement—an unsurprising career trajectory for Tisci" given the Givenchy connection to Dior.
The AP goes against the tide a bit, mentioning the grumbles against Tisci. "Naysayers, though, note that Tisci has done little to boost sales at Givenchy, which is also owned by Dior parent company LVMH Möet Hennessy, and suggest that Dior, as the group's moneymaking locomotive, might be looking for someone with a more proven sales record." The paper continues, listing Lanvin's Alber Elbaz as the candidate to watch.
"The Moroccan-born Israeli has transformed Lanvin from a musty old Paris label to one of fashion's hottest properties. Rumors have long swirled that he would be a shoo-in to replace Karl Lagerfeld at Chanel once the 77-year-old über-designer retires, but Elbaz has always insisted he's happy where he is."
Fashionista pulled together a list of suspects, including Marc Jacobs (though LVMH CEO Bernard Arnault recently told Tatler Asia, "Take Marc Jacobs, he has been a fantastic success at Vuitton and he has a proximity to the Vuitton spirit, but I don't think it would have been a success with Jacobs at Dior and the other way around; if I had asked John Galliano to do Vuitton, it would not have worked."), Alber Elbaz, Erdem Moralioglu, Kate and Laura Mulleavy, Dries Van Noten, and, of course, Tisci.
All this speculation is just that—speculation. But one thing remains certain: A game of fashion musical chairs is about to kick off. Where everyone ends up is anyone's guess.
