When did Virginie Viard start working at Chanel?

Viard was born in Lyon in 1962, to a family of silk makers. After studying theatre design in France, she got a job assisting the costume designer Dominique Borg.

Her journey into fashion was by a stroke of luck, or fate. The neighbour of her parents happened to be head of the household of Prince Rainer of Monoco - he recommended Viard and Lagerfeld, who had a house in Monaco at the time, decided to give her a chance. She began as an embroidery intern at Chanel in 1987.

What happened next?

Under Lagerfeld’s mentorship, Viard was quickly promoted to head of embroidery. After developing a close working relationship with Lagerfeld, she followed him to Chloe in 1992 (during his second stint as creative director for the brand, which he held simultaneously to his Chanel post), and then back to Chanel in 1997 after Lagerfeld departed Chloe.

Upon her return, she was appointed as coordinator of the Haute Couture collections, and in 2000, was given another promotion to become director of Chanel’s creation studio.

What was she responsible for as director of Chanel’s creation studio?

Viard was the connecting point between Lagerfeld and the Chanel ateliers – she coordinated the teams, working with the pattern cutters, fabric suppliers and seamstresses to translate Lagerfeld’s sketches into a three-dimensional garment. She then did fittings with Lagerfeld on every outfit and organised the necessary changes.

Who is Virginie Viard? Everything you need to know about Karl Lagerfeld’s replacement