After Raf Simons suddenly announced his departure from Dior in October, the internet ran amok trying to speculate who would take his place. Rumors named everyone from Lanvin’s creative director Alber Elbaz to Jonathan Saunders—who recently shuttered operations of his brand—but it looks like we won’t have an answer for some time. Dior just announced that the next two collections would be designed by the in-house team. The studio will be designing the 2016 Spring Couture collection, which will be presented in January, and the Fall/Winter 2016 ready-to-wear collection which will be presented in March during Paris Fashion Week.
The whole thing is rather surprising considering how quick other brands have been to make appointments. Labels generally take anywhere from a few days, like with Alessandro Michele who took over at Gucci after Frida Giannini’s departure, to a couple months like when Alexander Wang left Balenciaga. At this rate it could be six months before we hear any news, and in the meantime the rumor mill will continue to run. If this is Dior’s way of conjuring up a little extra PR for the brand it’s not a terrible idea—most industry insiders will be waiting with bated breath to see who will claim one of the most coveted positions in fashion.
