Chanel's New Chapter is a Creative Responsibility

Let's explore what makes the decision of who can replace Virginie Viard, Chanel veteran for over 30 years, interesting beyond just trying to increase profitability.

Virginie Viard, Creative Director of Chanel 2019-2024, via FashionNetwork.com

Chanel is a brand whose identity, history, and relation to French fashion and global culture supersedes the seeming instability that the rest of the industry brings with recent short stints between creative directorship and many public moves between higher executives. When Virginie Viard was quietly appointed after the death of Karl Lagerfeld, she was the best person to evolve and close Karl’s chapter fully by introducing the leadership of a woman’s point of view, which when designing for women is vastly different, more romantic and quieter than Karl’s style. Viard’s strengths were designing for cinematic stories rather than futuristic ones, with collections based on other forms of storytelling, like her latest couture collection, SS24. This one was based on the ballet, delving deep into house codes through the ballerina shoe, buttons, and other forms of accessorising.

Chanel Haute Couture SS24 "The Button", via Crash.fr

Viard herself is known for not giving public interviews, unlike Karl who had close relationships with the media and was often outspoken with his opinions. With Karl, his branding brought Chanel rejuvenated buzz, as well as commercial viability. Viard has not rejuvenated brand buzz as much as Karl’s passing did, but her commercial desirability speaks for itself. Chanel’s revenues rose by 16% to $19.7b in 2023. Instead, commentary around Chanel has come from new brand representatives like Sofia Richie and her wedding (dresses designed by Viard, makeup sponsored by Chanel Beauty), or Timothee Chalamet, the new face of Bleu de Chanel, Brad Pitt and Penelope Cruz - Viard expresses her vision of the brand through film and ability to tap into star power. Her preference for keeping a low profile has on one hand allowed Chanel to upkeep a sense of ultimate luxury by not allowing the public to be privy to the reasoning behind creative decisions beyond a few show notes. It’s also enabled the brand to position their working culture as inclusive and progressive, by spotlighting CEO Leena Nair, who is very open to giving interviews. Her LinkedIn bio says her favourite motto is “Lift as you Climb”. This is strong personal branding. Whoever replaces Viard will have to bring with them an ability to add their own personal branding to Chanel's beyond just fashion, to create a new vision for the House as a whole. This means the style of advertising across many departments and product lines. Think a reimagining of the Chanel No5 perfume. Which new face could represent the new Chanel?

Now in her sixties, it seems Viard is leaving Chanel to explore other creative pursuits. In addition to what Viard brought to the brand, she also made up a small percentage of the remaining female creative directors at the helm of legacy brands with large industry power. High, high luxury fashion is an oligopoly in terms of the brands that earn multiple billions of dollars per year and although many women have created their namesake brands, we still need to look back to where the money is flowing. We are in a fashion era where most creative directors appointed in recent history have been men. However beautiful their collections, Viard represented one of the few women making clothes for women at a very iconic brand. Even within Chanel, she was the first female creative director of the brand since Gabrielle Chanel herself. 

A new chapter after Viard’s quiet reign feels refreshing and exciting for the brand. The choice of creative director is paramount to Chanel's continued success. They will need to bring enough of their personal branding to Chanel whilst respecting the house codes and history and moving fashion forward in an innovative way. It’s the ultimate challenge of the 2020s when creative competition for brand authenticity and commercial viability is such a fine balance to get right. Imagine being a fresh young talent, being able to play with a design budget such as Chanel’s. It’s the ultimate position to be offered. One brand who has successfully performed their own revival in recent years is Schiaparelli. Through Roseberry, we see clear links to Elsa’s house codes, but he brings his Thom Browne experience and innovative vision to the brand, making it feel revolutionary and personal to him. He also is open to being interviewed whilst still being humble. This is the balance that Chanel needs to strike. Someone with the right experience, but the ambitious hunger & creative vision required to be aspirational. 

Bearing the pressure of picking the right person in mind, let’s go over our options. The first person that popped into my mind is not a real option, unfortunately, but I would have loved to see a Chanel by Viviene Westwood. The perfect marriage between France and Britain, both designers being known for breaking fashion rules, punk princess meets French elegance. Another female creative director on the market right now is Sarah Burton. She has navigated filling legacy shoes at McQueen before, and proven that she can steer a brand into further success by having dedicated her vision and loyalty to the Kering-owned company for many years. 

A collaborative drawing between Karl Lagerfeld and Simon Porte Jacquemus via instagram.com/jacquemus

Other options include those from their namesake brands also lending creative vision to the legendary house, much like Harrison Reed’s appointment to revive Nina Ricci whilst remaining at their eponymous brand. Options here include Jacquemus, who is very apt at creating brand identity as a whole, rather than just collection to collection. He understands how French culture has evolved - he would bring a freshness to the brand and with access to Chanel’s deep marketing pockets he would be able to prove his ideas in a luxury form quite differently to that of his independent brand.

Others suggest Hedi Slimane, who was previously at Dior Homme, Yves Saint Laurent, and now Celine. Slimane is talented and has a strong personal style, sure, and he could bring a menswear line to Chanel's identity we haven’t seen deeply explored before, but Chanel has too strong of an identity itself to turn gently or easily into a full-blown Hedi Slimane show. Another French option is Isabel Marant. Her understanding of French style is also modern and it would be interesting to see her bring her “boho chic” to Chanel. Marant is synonymous with Parisian style. These options are all creative directors who know what sells commercially. Chanel could equally choose someone with a background in haute couture to propel the ultra-luxe vision they have tried to push in other departments like accessories, with Chanel handbag prices now rivaling Hermès in terms of price after year-on-year increases. Daniel Roseberry in interview with System Magazine mentioned that the freedom he experiences in his creativity as Schiaparelli comes from the late designer's sense of humour, something he wouldn't be able to get at other legacy houses like Chanel, Dior or Balenciaga. Maybe not when considering Gabrielle's reign, but towards Karl's? There is definitely a sense of humour to play with when referencing his era.

The ultimate choice will have to take into consideration industry politics too. Jacquemus would be an interesting decision considering his closeness with the LVMH. Often, conglomerative executives are invited to watch his brand’s collections, indicating some investment interest, similar to Stella McCartney and Phoebe Philo. No doubt, this new appointment and subsequent chapter it will bring Chanel, the fashion industry, and creative history in branding and marketing, is a decision being closely watched. It is also Leena Nair’s ultimate challenge (as it would be for any CEO) to prove she too is loyal to the brand and can make wise decisions for its creative success. The fact that Chanel could represent the last independent, female-led legacy brand, means the responsibility that rests on the shoulders of Chanel executives is a heavy one to bear.