Meet Virginie Viard: Karl Lagerfeld’s right hand and the new creative director at Chanel

It was “with deep sadness” that last momth the House of Chanel announced the passing of Karl Lagerfeld, “a prolific creative mind with endless imagination,” and the brand’s creative director since 1983.

As a privately-owned company, the question of who should succeed Lagerfeld at the helm of Chanel was a decision to be made by the label’s majority owners, brothers Alain and Gerard Wertheimer.

On the day of Lagerfeld's death, Chanel announced that Alain Wertheimer, who also acts as company CEO, had entrusted Virginie Viard, the brand’s Studio Director and “Karl Lagerfeld’s closest collaborator for more than 30 years” to continue “with the creative work for the collections, so that the legacy of Gabrielle Chanel and Karl Lagerfeld can live on.”

The decision put an end to long-swirling speculation as to whom might eventually assume the position, with industry veterans like Phoebe Philo (ex-Celine) and Raf Simons (ex-Calvin Klein) both rumoured as possible candidates given their recent departures from major houses.

For now, Chanel is not appointing an external 'star' creative director to fill Lagerfeld's shoes, but rather entrusting Viard to continue Lagerfeld's vision, which she did very successfully at the autumn/ winter 2019 show in Paris. In a statement released yesterday, Alain Wertheimer was evidently keen to quell rumours of a successor, expressing “confidence” in the existing team.

So who is Virginie Viard? And is it really so surprising she got the job?

She started at Chanel as an intern

Her tenure at Chanel started in 1987 when a family friend, Prince Rainier’s chamberlain, recommended Viard to Karl Lagerfeld for an internship. The two creatives have been inseparable ever since. She followed him to Chloé in 1992, and moved back to Chanel in 1997 as the coordinator for haute couture. She started working on ready-to-wear in 2000.

Lagerfeld had already begun introducing Viard to the public

Viard was at Lagerfeld’s side for the finale of several shows over the course of the last year, including the resort collection in Paris last May, the beach-themed spring/summer 2019 show in Paris in October and the extravaganza at the Temple of Dendur in New York in December. In January, Viard took the bow at the end of the haute couture show in Paris when Lagerfeld was, according to a statement from the house, “feeling tired” and did not appear himself. Viard took the final bow accompanied by model Vittoria Ceretti wearing the final look, a crystal-embellished bridal swimsuit.

She has spent 30 years working closely with Lagerfeld to bring his vision to life

In a rare interview with Elle magazine (Viard shies away from the limelight), Viard described their working relationship: “I immediately dispatch each sketch to each première d’atelier, according to her skills and capabilities. I visualize the show, get things ready for him, decide on materials, coordinate the teams, and liaise with suppliers,” she says. “I like to think of myself as the one who helps his vision come alive.”

In an interview with the Telegraph in 2017, she confirmed that she and Lagerfeld see each other every day and speak "all the time," with Lagerfeld sometimes sending her sketches via phone. "The complicity is total," she added.

Lagerfeld described their relationship in similar terms. “She is my right rector Virginie Viard, hand and my left hand,” he says. “Our relationship is essential, doubled by a very real friendship and affection.”

Viard has a background in costume design

Viard, who is in her 50s, grew up in Lyon, France, the eldest of five siblings. While her father is a ski champion turned surgeon, her maternal grandparents were silk manufacturers.

"I was also attracted to the industry, but most of all I wanted to make theatre costumes," she said in an interview with Crash magazine. "I started in costume production as assistant to Dominique Borg, who notably produced costumes for Camille Claudel; then I was a costume designer for films and plays, until I met Karl, who suggested I work at Chanel and then Chloé."

Viard's work has also extended to the film industry: She designed the costumes for Krzysztof Kieslowski's Three Colors: Blue in 1993, starring Juliette Binoche and Julie Delpy, and was in charge of the wardrobe for Three Colors: White in 1994.

Viard will be the first woman to lead Chanel since Coco herself

Now that Viard has been appointed creative director of Chanel, it is also worth noting that two of the biggest haute couture houses in the world are now led by women. Maria Grazia Chiuri was the first woman to be announced as Dior's creative director when she was appointed in July 2016. Viard will also be the first woman to lead Chanel since Coco Chanel herself.