More than 30 years, the designer Virginie Viard has largely kept out of the spotlight. The right and the left arm of Karl Lagerfeld as he once said.
People were becaming familiar with Virginie Viard who walked along Karl Lagerfeld in the closing stages. Just last in January, Spring Haute Couture – Summer 2019 marked the first time Virginie Viard closed the show without Karl Lagerfeld.
She still remains a mystery to the fashion world. Virginie Viard joined the French house in 1987 only four years after Karl Lagerfeld was appointed creative director. Viard was a trainee and was responsible to take charge of embroidery work in the Haute Couture team.
Virginie Viard followed Karle when he moved to Chloé taking position of creative director at this house in 1992. Next five years Viirginie Viard always followed Karl even when he returned to Chanel. She was appointed as a senior fashion supervisor taking over ready-to-wear garments in 2000.
In Netflix’s 7 Days Out documentary, Karl Lagerfeld once said: ” Virginie is the most important person, not only myself but also Chanel. She is my “right hand”. If we don’t meet, we’ll talk all day over the phone . ”
Starting her career as an assistant to costume designer Dominique Borg, Viard made a mark when creating costumes for famous cinematic works, Three Colors: Blue (1993), Three Colors: White (1994)
Her inspiration comes from non-fashion elements such as music, drama, collaborators, exhibitions or even son’s homework.
In one of her interviews, Viard explained: “ I always have an expectation for fashion, however, it is not something that inspires me. The current working style is still no different from 20 years ago. Everything still works smoothly, because teamwork is the most important thing in the design studio. I don’t feel like a director. ”
