Following the John Galliano's much-anticipated trial last week, credible rumors emerged late Friday that the designer might be re-hired at his namesake label: In a post for her "On the Runway" blog, The New York Times' Cathy Horyn reported that there had been "casual discussions among LVMH executives about the feasibility of Mr. Galliano returning to his own label."
Alas, LVMH chief Bernard Arnault stepped in to quash any such speculation. At a fashion show the very next day, Arnault informed the press that Galliano would never return to any of the company's brands. According to Horyn's follow-up:
“'He will not be working for LVMH,' Mr. Arnault said after the Dior Homme show in Paris. Mr. Arnault added that after Mr. Galliano’s arrest and dismissal from Dior for anti-Semitic statements, 'he didn’t have the simple politeness to contact me.'"
Horyn expressed in her Friday column concerns that "Mr. Galliano’s problems were not sufficiently addressed, nor their potential liability faced, and that something like a status quo existed" at LVMH. When Horyn questioned Dior CEO Sidney Toledano about it, he said: "There were concerns, and we warned him officially. I’ve talked to the lawyers for years."
Thus, it seems Galliano's fate at LVMH has been sealed, though the final verdict on his legal woes remains to be determined: The court is reportedly set to deliver a final verdict in early September.
