It has been nearly eight months since LVMH removed the charismatic designer John Galliano from the helm of one of its flagship labels following an anti-Semitic outburst, Dior, and ever since the hunt for a successor has been one of the most watched phenomenons of the fashion industry in recent memory.
Over the months, a slew of names have been put forth as possible replacements for Galliano, and as recently as last month, there were reports that talks were still "progressing" between LVMH and Marc Jacobs, who currently helms Louis Vuitton and has long been considered the most likely candidate for the position.
Now, WWD reports that those talks have broken down, and that LVMH has started to consider other candidates -- some of them a bit surprising:
It is understood Alexander Wang, Raf Simons and Jason Wu are among some of the candidates recently approached, with Riccardi Tisci still in the mix but viewed as an unlikely appointment, given his strong momentum as Givenchy’s couturier.
All four of these contenders' names have been floated before, but Alexander Wang in particular seemed a seriously far-fetched possibility considering his lack of couture experience and edgy aesthetic.
The fact of the matter is, the more the search continues, the more it seems that each designer on the list of potentials with the right kind of experience is currently in a post that suits them perfectly. Alber Elbaz of Lanvin and Nicolas Ghesquiere of Balenciaga, for example, have both reportedly removed themselves from the running, and it seems unlikely that contenders like McQueen's Sarah Burton and, indeed, Givenchy's Riccardo Tisci would be all that inspired to leave their current posts. According to WWD, one of the major hurdles facing LVMH in moving Jacobs to Dior, for example, was the fact that Phoebe Philo would replace him at Louis Vuitton, and she was not altogether keen on the idea of leaving Ceilne -- understandable, considering her recent success.
As such, it makes sense that LVMH would be looking to younger designers like Jason Wu with, at a minimum, the right sensibilty to lead a label like Dior, but after so many months of rumors and waiting, it's anyone's guess what news the next few months will bring.
