Who is Virginie Viard, Karl Lagerfeld’s successor at Chanel?
- Viard joined Chanel as an intern in 1987, after being recommended by a neighbour of her parents who was close to Monaco’s Prince Rainier
Virginie Viard, who was the late Karl Lagerfeld’s “right and left hand” for more than 30 years, is stepping out from the legendary designer’s formidable shadow to take over as Chanel’s creative director.
Chanel announced Viard’s nomination “so that the legacy of Gabrielle Chanel and Karl Lagerfeld can live on” at the same time as it confirmed Lagerfeld’s death on Tuesday aged 85.
The smoky-eyed designer who will take the spotlight after shunning it for decades was described by her mentor as “my right and left hand”.
He told Netflix’s 7 Days Out documentary series: “Virginie is the most important person, not only for me but also for the atelier, for everything”.
[Virginie is] my right and left hand
Viard declines to reveal her age, as is common in the fashion world.
She joined Chanel as an intern in haute couture embroidery in 1987, four years after Lagerfeld took charge, after being recommended by a neighbour of her parents who was close to Monaco’s Prince Rainier.
“I imagine we are complementary,” Viard said of her relationship with Lagerfeld as Chanel’s head of studio. “I understand where he wants to take Chanel, but I cannot really explain it, it’s like that,” she told AFP in 2015.
“He doesn’t spend three hours on a dress. He sees right away if it works well or not.”