She was his right-hand for over 30-years
Yesterday, Karl Lagerfeld, Creative Designer of Chanel, Fendi, and his own namesake brand, has passed away at the age of 85 in Paris. After the sad news, the French fashion house announced that Virginie Viard will take over as the brand’s Creative Director.
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Fashion legend Karl Lagerfeld has passed away aged 85
Chanel gets the Netflix treatment in their latest series 7 Days Out
Virginie Viard, was Karl’s right-hand for over 30-years, and was also the director of Chanel’s Fashion Creation Studio. Her appointment was announced in an Instagram post, “Virginie Viard, Director of CHANEL’s Fashion Creation Studio and Karl Lagerfeld’s closest collaborator for more than 30 years, has been entrusted by Alain Wertheimer with the creative work for the collections, so that the legacy of Gabrielle Chanel and Karl Lagerfeld can live on.”
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Virginie’s journey with Chanel started in 1987, when she joined as an intern, just four years after Karl himself became part of the French luxury house. She worked closely with the late designer, and even joined him at Chloé in 1992 for five years, before returning to Chanel as the coordinator for haute couture. Notably, in January after Chanel’s show during haute couture week, Virginie stood in for Karl during the final bow, when he was reportedly “feeling tired”. Also, last October, she joined the iconic designer for his bow after the beach-themed Spring/Summer 2019 show at the Grand Palais.
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In December, Netflix released a documentary series, 7 Days Out, offering viewers a behind the scenes look into the seven days leading up to some of the most significant historical and cultural events around the world. One of the episodes focused on Chanel and their Haute Couture collection fashion show. The series highlighted how close Virginie and Karl were, as he described her as, “The most important person, not only for me but also for the atelier, for everything. She is my right arm and even if I don’t see her, we are on the phone all the time.”
We can’t wait and see what Virginie brings to the table!
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