Maria Grazia Chiuri left Dior last May after nine seasons as creative director. Six months later, she reappears at another LVMH group fashion house, this time Italian like herself. The very same house that launched her career: Fendi.
Maria Grazia Chiuri, the comeback…
Fashion and luxury commentators had speculated about a possible move for the Roman designer to Fendi, where she cut her fashion teeth and met Pier Paolo Piccioli, or Valentino, where she spent 17 years alongside Pier Paolo Piccioli, now creative director at Balenciaga. After months of speculation, it was ultimately the former option that won out.
At Fendi, Maria Grazia Chiuri will be in charge of the men’s and women’s collections, a role that has been expanded since the departure in October 2024 of Kim Jones, who was previously in charge of Haute Couture, menswear, and fur.
Preparing the ground, the former Roman furrier, now a luxury ready-to-wear and accessories house, promoted Silvia Venturini Fendi, a third-generation member of the founding family and previously artistic director, to president less than two weeks ago.
The new head of the company will present her inaugural collection for Fendi at the Fall/Winter 2026-27 fashion shows in Milan next February. She will be responsible for preparing the next generation and, above all, reviving an Italian luxury fashion house that has been losing momentum.
A new era for an anniversary
While Silvia Venturini Fendi, who designed the baguette bag 28 years ago, has just handed over the creative reins at Fendi to take up the purely honorary position of president, Maria Grazia Chiuri, 61, who is leaving Dior, is returning to Rome, where she began her career. Starting in 1989, the designer worked for ten years as an accessories designer, where she contributed to the creation of the Baguette bag, emblematic of the House.
After having her collections supervised by the designers’ granddaughter, Fendi is entrusting the creative reins of its women’s wardrobe to a representative of the “so-called” weaker sex outside the family for the first time. Before her, two men had left their mark on the House’s fashion creations under the strict control of the historic family: Karl Lagerfeld for 54 years, from 1965 until his death, followed by Kim Jones for four years.
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Read also > Silvia Venturini Fendi swaps her role as creative director for that of honorary president
Featured photo: © Fendi
