LVMH on Tuesday named Maria Grazia Chiuri as the new creative officer for Fendi, succeeding Silvia Venturini Fendi who stepped down from the role last month.
Chiuri, who earlier this year stepped down as womenswear artistic director at Christian Dior, worked for Fendi for most of the 1990s and had a role in developing the company’s famous Baguette bag. She will present her first collection for Autumn/Winter 2026 in February in Milan.
“Maria Grazia Chiuri is one of the greatest creative talents in fashion today, and I am delighted that she has chosen to return to Fendi to continue expressing her creativity within the LVMH group,” LVMH chairman Bernard Arnault said in a statement.
The shakeup at Fendi comes during a period of creative and commercial flux for luxury fashion. Brands across the industry — including LVMH stablemates Dior, Celine and Givenchy — have revamped their aesthetics under new designers in a bid to reignite demand after two years of falling revenue and profits.
LVMH will provide an update on its current financial health when it reports third-quarter results Tuesday evening. While new creative directors have attracted renewed interest in luxury fashion with their debut shows in Milan and Paris, that isn’t expected to translate into higher revenue and profit before next year.
Chiuri became the first female creative director in Dior’s history when she joined the company in 2016 from Valentino. She transformed the brand’s image and product offering across categories and price points. Chiuri worked to make Dior’s collections more wearable, with marketing that spotlighted feminist values and collaborations with global craftspeople. Hit bags including the Book Tote and the Bobby Camera bag reduced Dior’s dependence on its best-selling Lady Dior handbag. France awarded Chiuri the Légion d’honneur, the country’s highest honour in 2019.
While Dior has been hit hard by the ongoing downturn that has engulfed much of the fashion industry, the brand had grown rapidly during much of Chiuri’s tenure. Sales quadrupled to €9 billion ($10.4 billion) in 2023 from €2.2 billion in 2017, HSBC has estimated.
Chiuri’s appointment comes in the wake of Roman Ros taking over as Fendi chief executive in July. The pair will be looking to breathe new life into the historic Roman fashion house while maintaining a link with its storied past.
Chiuri takes over from Venturini Fendi, a third-generation member of the Roman family who founded the company in 1925. Venturini Fendi is the daughter of Anna Fendi, one of the five sisters who took over from their parents and ran the brand for decades leading up to its sale to LVMH.
“I return to Fendi with honour and joy, having had the privilege of beginning my career under the guidance of the house’s founders, the five sisters,” Chiuri said.
Kim Jones resigned a year ago as artistic director for Fendi’s womenswear and haute couture collections. He had succeeded Karl Lagerfeld who died in 2019. Over the past year, Venturini Fendi had added womenswear to her mandate in addition to menswear and accessories.