After John Galliano's departure from Margiela: What's next for the fashion industry's most controversial dreamer?

John Galliano is many things, but subtle has never been one of them. Therefore, it’s no surprise that the designer's exit from Maison Margiela, after a decade at the helm of the OTB-owned fashion house, has reverberated through the fashion industry – despite deafening rumours of his imminent departure recently. Nonetheless, Galliano took it upon himself to go out with a bang, in this case, a two-page letter akin to a novella, which he published on the social media platform Instagram shortly after the brand confirmed his departure in a shared statement on Wednesday evening.

The end of Galliano’s time at Margiela, though he “continues to atone” for his past, seems to mark the end of his successful redemption arc as it appears that the wider world of fashion has conveniently decided to forgive his past transgressions. For those too young to remember, or those who have chosen to forget, the infamous “Galliano Incident” of 2011 involved a video of the designer—then the creative director of Dior and renowned as one of the industry's maddest and baddest geniuses—delivering an antisemitic rant toward patrons at a Parisian bar. The fallout was swift and within days Galliano, despite his commercial and artistic success at Dior, was removed from the French luxury house and shunned from the industry at large.

What followed was a stint in rehab, time spent with Jewish rights groups and a failed attempt to become a workshop lecturer at New York's Parson’s School of Design in 2013 after a petition was created on Change.org against Galliano teaching at the school generated more than 2,100 supporters. But was fashion really ready to let such a talent like Galliano fall to the wayside? Not entirely it seemed and so, in 2014, OTB CEO Renzo Rosso took a chance on the disgraced creative; thus began the second act of his career.

Road to Redemption

Galliano’s first act – marked by his Central Saint Martins graduate collection 'Les Incroyables' which was immediately snapped up by Joan Burstein of the London department store Browns, a brief tenure at Givenchy, and his still-legendary time at Dior – was defined as much by his persona as by his creations. As the mad hatter, the showman, and the ‘enfant terrible’ – a moniker he shared with his contemporary, rival, and fellow troubled soul, Alexander McQueen – Galliano balanced frenzied creativity with commercial viability like few designers before or since.

While his commercial viability continued once he settled into Margiela, WWD reported Margiela increased its annual revenue from about 100 million euros to 500 million during Galliano’s tenure, his persona took a back seat. Much like Martin Margiela, who famously never showed his face and notoriously avoided the press even after he departed his namesake brand in 2009, Galliano allowed his creations and talent to do the talking. Suddenly, he no longer appeared for the customary bow at the end of his shows, which once were as lavish as the show itself, and remained tight-lipped to the media, at least in the early stages of his rise at Margiela.

Instead, Galliano let his creations and talent speak for themselves, presenting an undeniable and indisputable truth: he was, and remains, one of the most prolific creatives the fashion world has ever seen – scandals notwithstanding. It is a truth Galliano himself seems to be most touched by, upon reflecting on his decade spent at Margiela, crediting Rosso for giving him “the opportunity to once again find my creative voice when I had become voiceless. My wings mended, and I better understood the all-consuming act of creativity”.

And all-consuming his creativity during his tenure at Margiela was. If Galliano was ever in doubt whether he was up for the challenge of Margiela, as his departing note would suggest, no such doubts or nerves were visible in his work. From the very beginning, the designer seemed as dedicated and in full command of his creative powers as ever, only that he traded lavish shows dedicated to spectacular romance and exploration of cultures, for an exploration of Margiela's penchant for deconstruction with unconventional materials.

It didn’t take long for Galliano to step out of the shadow of the house’s beloved founder—a challenge that might have broken most other designers. However, it took some time for his unrestrained showmanship to return to the forefront of fashion. That final shred of restraint seemed to crumble in January when he presented not just a collection but a show that, in many ways, marked a true return to form for fashion’s fallen dreamer. Whether Galliano already knew that his spring 2024 artisanal collection would be his swan song at Margiela is unclear. Yet, it was a final act of grandeur that showcased his singular creative voice, inviting guests into a vault beneath the Pont Alexandre III bridge. There, he conjured the illusion of a decaying nightclub, evoking memories of his glory days at Dior even before the show even began.

When it did begin, the runway became his stage once again, with models as his actors, bringing his romantic, provocative, and often historically inspired visions to life. It was the kind of show destined to be immortalised on mood boards and referenced in fashion schools for years to come. Only this time, the allure may be even greater, knowing there will be no follow-up to this triumphant display – at least not at Margiela.

And thus begin the speculations…

The past year has, in hindsight, set Galliano up for a spectacular third chapter of his career. Creatively he has proven that his zenith is not yet behind him but might still be ahead. Simultaneously, ‘High & Low: John Galliano’, the long-awaited documentary on the designer directed by Kevin Macdonald, which was released earlier this year, was one further attempt to repent for the errors of his past. The documentary saw the designer reflect on his discriminatory comments, his shunning from the industry and, for perhaps the first time, provided audiences with a thorough look at his psyche – including his struggles with alcohol and drugs. While not everyone considered his grappling with his past comments sufficient, it was a clear sign that Galliano was not only ready to discuss the errors of his ways but subsequently, move on from them. Something that also became apparent in his statement, which for the first time ever revealed that he is 14 years sober – to this day, his sober anniversary coinciding with his exit from Margiela.

All signs point towards a new beginning, now that the designer, as he said, has learned to forgive himself for “perpetuating the stereotype that creativity had to be fuelled by drink and drugs”. With his team at Margiela, he has, in his words, “proven that creativity is never out of fashion. It is not fuelled by those destructive forces, but by a creative community that cares and considers design.” But where do those communities exist, and where could this next chapter of his career lead him now that he has creatively and socially been rehabilitated?

The ultimate end of his redemption arc would undoubtedly be the previously rumoured return to Dior. There is no denying that the thought of Galliano, the shunned son, returning to the house that cemented his status in fashion and simultaneously was part of his downfall – by the time he was let go from Dior and his namesake brand in 2011, he was overseeing 32 collections a year – would be poetic. While his return to Dior is a theory favoured by the fashion trade magazine Miss Tweed, other publications such as FashionNetwork have been busy at work quoting insiders who have supposedly heard of him joining Fendi where a replacement for creative director Kim Jones is yet to be named. But then, there are plenty of other luxury fashion houses currently looking for a designer and therefore, the possibilities seem almost endless.

If one were to trust the comment section on Galliano’s announcement post to have the answer, then all future roads for the designer would lead to Chanel. A fashion house that could do with a sprinkle of theatrics and a bit of magic – not to mention a couture house where Galliano could continue to invent and reinvent techniques as he has done at Margiela. Plus, he has already once proven that a legacy looming large, as would undoubtedly still be the case with Karl Lagerfeld's ever-present energy at Chanel, is no deterrent for him. That, however, is nothing but speculation, much like those rumours of Hedi Slimane, Simone Porte Jacquemus or Matthieu Blazy being next in line for the throne at the prestigious French fashion house.

Galliano himself seemed fully aware of the rumour mill his departure from Margiela would ignite, and if one reads between the lines, he almost appears slightly amused by it as he writes: “The rumours... Everyone wants to know, and everyone wants to dream. When the time is right, all will be revealed.”