DIOR NAMES MARIA GRAZIA CHIURI NEW CREATIVE DIRECTOR

After months of speculation, the house of Christian Dior has confirmed the appointment of Maria Grazia Chiuri as Creative Director. In her new plum job, Chiuri is the first women to steer the creative reins of the fabled French couture house. The decision marks the end of Chiuri's 17-long year tenure at Valentino, eight of which spent together with co-creative director Pier Paolo Piccioli. Together they catapulted the Roman house to the highest fashion echelon's hitting the one-billion dollar mark and coining a new and exclusive concept of beauty, buzz, sensuality, modernity and craftsmanship. Piccioli, instead, was named sole creative director of Valentino. Chiuri will oversee the women's haute couture, ready-to-wear and accessory collections, bringing a woman's perspective to the house codes defined by Christian Dior. She will show her first rtw collection in Paris on Sept. 30. According to an in-depth article on WWD, Chiuri was chosen for her hands-on and pragmatic approach and for her global understanding of the values of the label. According to the authoritative paper, Dior closed 2015 with revenues of 1.87 billion euros, a 17.1 percent hike against last year. Offering her own take on the event, Antonia believes that “Maria Grazia was ready for a change. She and Piero Paolo have been formidable partners who from the beginning believed in their new tenure with a dynamic and fresh perspective. I am sure he will succeed on his own and will be able to fully express himself also via the simplicity he has maintained throughout the years. He's just more mature. Many years ago they came into my boutique to check their product which I had displayed differently and they were ecstatic. It won't be easy for Maria Grazia at Dior but she's a tough one and will thrive on this new challenge.”