If we are to accept as true the twitter rumours, Givenchy creative director Riccardo Tisci is to be named as John Galliano’s alternative at Christian Dior fashion house imminently.
Derek Blasberg, fashion journalist and editor tweeted last night: “I was just told backstage at the @KatyPerry concert (of all places!) that Riccardo Tisci is CONFIRMED at Dior. I leave PFW for a second…”
Blasberg is the only industry insider who has confirmed Tisci’s appointment so far, but other fashion news sources have been speculating that he would be picked as Galliano’s descendant after the ostentatious designer was unceremoniously dismissed.
Tisci was chosen as the creative director of Givenchy’s womenswear and haute couture divisions in 2005, a role that, paradoxically enough, once belonged to Galliano before his promotion to head Dior.
The Central Saint Martins graduate’s short stint at the fashion house proved so flourishing – both critically and commercially – that he was also selected to control its menswear line three years later.
His sumptuous, passionate aesthetic, always tempered by gothic touches and a dash of melancholy, has not been lost on fashion critics like Cathy Horyn and Suzy Menkes, who have long glorified his foresight.
Other names that were rumoured to be in the running for the Dior position after Galliano’s dismissal included Haider Ackermann and artistic director of Lanvin, Alber Elbaz, two current fashion beloved.
But Tisci looked the most probable nominee for the post from the beginning, considering that Dior is the darling of LVMH – the holding company and luxury goods conglomerate that also manages brands like Givenchy, Fendi, Louis Vuitton and Céline – not to mention the detail that he already has an existing working association with owner Bernard Arnault.
So if Blasberg’s word can be reliable and Riccardo Tisci is to be named Christian Dior creative director, the great question right now is this: Who will replace Tisci at Givenchy?