Is John Galliano leaving Maison Margiela?

It seems as if we can’t go a single week without rumours of another creative director leaving a fashion house. Or are they staying at their house? Or are they going to a new house? Sometimes it’s just too much to keep up with, which is honestly why we don’t bother (bye Peter Hawkings at Tom Ford!). This time, however, the whispers have become too loud to ignore, with the streets saying that John Galliano’s exit from Maison Margiela is imminent.

After a short period of industry rumblings dissipated the news, rumours reached a fever pitch this week after an anonymous blog called “Miss Tweed” insisted that Galliano was leaving the house for Dior (according to “several sources with knowledge of the matter”), while another online publication claimed he was actually going to Fendi. From here, the unverified reports began spreading like a rash, cropping up on content farms across the web in solid black and white. To celebrate those articles, I have decided to invent my own unsubstantiated claims and commit them to writing as well: Sarah Burton is heading to Juicy Couture. TV’s Ebon Moss-Bachrach is going to Givenchy. I am the new creative director of Chanel.

To many, the rumours of Galliano’s exit from Margiela may come as a surprise. Recently, the designer has been experiencing a period of public goodwill thanks to his work at the house, specifically the success of his 2024 Artisanal collection. Taking place under Paris’ Pont Alexandre III bridge in January, the show was heralded by fans and critics as a momentary return to fashion’s former glory days. Pieces from the collection found their way into numerous editorials and onto a number of celebrity clients, including Kim Kardashian, Bad Bunny and Ariana Grande at the 2024 Met Gala. If Galliano were to bow out now, he would be leaving on an all-time high.

However, what makes the reports even more interesting is that both LVMH brands Galliano is rumoured to be taking over, Dior and Fendi, currently have creative directors in place. Maria Grazia Chiuri – one of few high profile women heading up a major house – has been creative director of Dior’s women’s collections since 2016, while Brit designer Kim Jones took over Fendi women’s and couture in 2020 following Karl Lagerfeld’s death.

So, is it Fendi, Dior or another secret third thing that none of us know about yet? It may be too soon to tell, but if rumours are to be believed we’ll be finding out very soon. So, while we wait on Margiela’s HR department for the news, we’re looking back at all of Galliano’s greatest hits at the house so far.

Scroll through the gallery above to see them all.