Maria Grazia Chiuri leaves the artistic direction of women’s collections at Dior, after being the first woman to ever be named artistic director in the history of the House, creating successful commercial products, and making feminism a fundamental part of her work. Her departure after nine years at the helm marks a new chapter for the brand, likely under the guidance of Jonathan Anderson, who was named as Dior’s menswear designer in April, succeeding Kim Jones.

“The house of Dior wishes to express today its deepest gratitude to Maria Grazia Chiuri after a wonderful collaboration as creative director of women’s collections since 2016,” the French fashion house said in a statement. “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,” Delphine Arnault, chairman and chief executive officer of Christian Dior Couture, said in a statement. “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.”

The fashion brand, founded in 1947 by Christian Dior, is part of French luxury giant LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton, which has owned Dior since 1984. Chiuri said she is thrilled to have the opportunity to helm the house, commenting, “I would like to thank Monsieur Arnault for placing his trust in me and Delphine for her support. I am particularly grateful for the work accomplished by my teams and the ateliers. Their talent and expertise allowed me to realize 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."

Maria Grazia Chiuri worked with Piccioli for 25 years at Fendi and Valentino. They were named creative directors of Valentino in 2008. Chiuri left Valentino after 17 years to serve as Dior's first female creative director in 2016 until today. French fashion house Dior showed last creative director Maria Grazia Chiuri's cruise 2026 and fall-winter haute couture 2026 collections at a fashion show in the gardens of the Villa Albani Torlonia in Rome on May 27.