Fashion's worst-kept secret this year has been officially outed: Jonathan Anderson has been confirmed to be the creative director of Dior, spanning womenswear, menswear and haute couture. Anderson was already announced by the House of his appointment as creative director of Dior Men weeks ago. At the same time, it was already widely speculated that Maria Grazia Chiuri would bow out after the Dior Cruise 2026 collection in Rome last week—one that turned out to be true.
The announcement of Anderson's appointment is swift—less than a week since Chiuri's exit—and signals parent company LVMH's commitment to ensuring that its decisions regarding the future of Dior have been carefully planned and thought out. The uncertainty surrounding previous creative directorship vacancies at other fashion houses such as Gucci and Balenciaga didn't bode well, with share prices for parent company Kering taking a hit.
Anderson's appointment is one to not be taken lightly. His ascension as the sole creative director for Dior marks the first time since the Dior Homme line was conceived by Marc Bohan in 1970, that a single person is responsible for all three of Dior's main fashion collections. Monsieur Dior himself dabbled with a few menswear pieces during his time. But apart from his upcoming responsibilities at Dior, Anderson will continue heading his own label JW Anderson, as well as the existing collaboration he has with Uniqlo—that's a total of 18 collections a year, spread across three different labels. Add to the fact that his appointment at Dior will see him designing haute couture for the first time, this is a step-up from his former role at Loewe.
Delphine Arnault is optimistic that Anderson will be up for the challenge. The chairman and chief executive officer of Christian Dior Couture states, "I am delighted to welcome Jonathan Anderson to lead the women’s and men’s creations of the House. I have followed his career with great interest since he joined the LVMH group over ten years ago. I am convinced that he will bring a creative and modern vision to our House, inspired by the fabulous story of Monsieur Dior and the codes he created. He will be supported by our teams and our incredible Ateliers who will bring his creativity to life." In an interview with Business of Fashion, Arnault further reiterates that "it will be different—but I think that’s what’s interesting. And it’s also my responsibility, as CEO, to know when it’s time for change—and to make that change happen."
There's no doubt that the sharp slowdown in demand for luxury in the past couple of years have affected Dior's revenue. Anderson's appointment is not only hinged on his much lauded creativity, but also his proven ability to create desirable and relevant luxury fashion that's also commercial. His 11-year tenure at Loewe transformed a once-sleepy Spanish luxury fashion house into one that had many consistently excited about.
Anderson will show his first vision for Dior with the Dior Men Summer 2026 runway show during Paris Fashion Week Men's on 26 June. He will skip the Spring/Summer 2025 haute couture season, and will show his first womenswear collection for Dior on 1 October during Paris Fashion Week. His first haute couture show will then be revealed in January 2026.
