Maria Grazia Chiuri is stepping down from her role as Dior’s creative director for women’s haute couture and women’s collection after nearly a decade, marking a significant shift for the iconic French fashion house.
“Christian Dior Couture announces that Maria Grazia Chiuri has decided to leave her position as creative director of women’s haute couture, ready-to-wear and accessories collections,” Dior confirmed in a statement on Thursday.
Delphine Arnault, chairman and CEO of Christian Dior Couture, expressed her appreciation for Chiuri’s contribution to the brand. “I extend my warmest thanks to Maria Grazia Chiuri, who, since her arrival at Dior, has accomplished tremendous work with an inspiring feminist perspective and exceptional creativity, all imbued with the spirit of Monsieur Dior, which allowed her to design highly desirable collections,” she said. “She has written a key chapter in the history of Christian Dior, greatly contributing to its remarkable growth and being the first woman to lead the creation of women’s collections.”
Chiuri also expressed her gratitude as she prepares to exit the role. “I would like to thank Monsieur Arnault for placing his trust in me and Delphine for her support,” she said. “I am particularly grateful for the work accomplished by my teams and the ateliers. Their talent and expertise allowed me to realise my vision of committed women’s fashion, in close dialogue with several generations of female artists. Together, we have written an impactful chapter of which I am immensely proud.”
Chiuri’s career in fashion began at Fendi in 1989, where she designed handbags. She later joined Valentino in 1999, initially working in accessories before being promoted to co-creative director alongside Pierpaolo Piccioli in 2008. She joined Dior in 2016, becoming the first female designer in the house since its founding in 1947. Her predecessors include Christian Dior, Yves Saint Laurent, Marc Bohan, Gianfranco Ferré, John Galliano and Raf Simons.
Her debut collection for Spring/Summer 2017 was inspired by fencing and introduced slogan t-shirts reading “We should all be feminists”, a piece that defined her feminist approach throughout her tenure.
Chiuri was known for collaborating with female artists for her runway shows, including Judy Chicago, Faith Ringgold, Eva Jospin, and Mickalene Thomas. At the Spring/Summer 2025 show, Italian artist and competitive archer Sagg Napoli performed by firing arrows at a target – highlighting themes of feminine strength and empowerment, while models walked the runway. She regularly drew from Dior’s broader historical archives beyond the era of its founder.
Among the standout revivals during her time at Dior was the reintroduction of the Saddle Bag in 2018, an iconic design from the Galliano years. More recently, her Autumn/Winter 2024 collection paid tribute to Marc Bohan’s Miss Dior line from 1967, which aimed to make ready-to-wear more accessible to couture clients. Her final show for Dior, the Resort 2026 collection, was held on Tuesday.
Throughout her time at Dior, Chiuri handled the demands of multiple annual collections, including ready-to-wear, couture, cruise, and pre-fall shows. Standout presentations included a pre-fall show in Mumbai, showcasing Indian craftsmanship, and another in Kyoto. Her creative direction helped fuel major commercial gains, with Dior couture sales increasing from €2.2 billion in 2017 to €9.5 billion in 2023, according to HSBC. However, the brand was not immune to the global luxury slowdown, with sales dipping to €8.7 billion in 2024. In the first quarter of 2025, LVMH’s fashion and leather goods division posted a 5 per cent decline in revenue.
Dior has made several strategic appointments in recent months, including Benedetta Petruzzo as Managing Director in October 2024 and Pierre-Emmanuel Angeloglou as Deputy CEO in April 2025. Both now report directly to Delphine Arnault. However, Chiuri’s successor has not yet been named.
Away from the catwalk, Chiuri has been restoring Rome’s Teatro della Cometa, a personal project tied to her passion for Italian arts and heritage.
Her departure marks the close of a significant chapter for Dior, during which Chiuri’s feminist vision and artistic collaborations reshaped the house’s image and connected it with a new generation of fashion enthusiasts.
