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Chanel Announces Virginie Viard as Karl Lagerfeld's Successor

Written by Heather Snowden in Style

Chanel has announced Virginie Viard as Karl Lagerfeld's successor. The information arrives less than 24 hours after news broke about the iconic designer's death.

In the Instagram post below, Chanel revealed that Viard has been selected to follow in Lagerfeld's footsteps as the storied house's creative director. As Fashionista points out, Viard is relatively unknown compared with those who were rumored to be in the running to replace Lagerfeld, including Marc Jacobs, Alber Elbaz, and Haider Ackermann.

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"Virginie Viard, Director of CHANEL’s Fashion Creation Studio and Karl Lagerfeld’s closest collaborator for more than 30 years, has been entrusted by [Chanel CEO] Alain Wertheimer with the creative work for the collections, so that the legacy of Gabrielle Chanel and Karl Lagerfeld can live on," the brand wrote.

Celebrities around the globe have been paying tribute to Lagerfeld since news of his passing broke, applauding the influential leader for his contributions to fashion over the last seven decades.

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