Dior has finally named Jonathan Anderson as their next creative director. Who is surprised?

Jonathan Anderson at his final show for Loewe last year. Screen shot: loewe/YouTube

There is no surprise here. Hence, no confirmation is required. There is nothing more to know. Even if there were to be no announcement from Dior, we knew who will succeed Maria Grazia Chiuri, whose departure last week was equally unsurprising. But Dior saw the necessity to make that announcement and they did, a short while ago. They finally named Jonathan Anderson as the designer of all the brand’s collections, including women’s and the haute couture, on top of the men’s already made known two months ago. No one believed Mr Anderson would be happy with just handling the men’s line.

Perhaps the revelation here is that Dior has finally decided to unify its creative direction under one designer, signaling a new era for LVMH’s most important fashion house and aiming to bring a cohesive vision across all its so-far aesthetically fragmented offerings. It has never really been clear what advantage Dior gained from two creative directors since the time of Christian Dior himself. The split creative directorship model (also seen at LVMH’s brands Louis Vuitton and Fendi) can seem less streamlined than having one overarching vision, and with Mr Chiuri and former CD for the men’s Kim Jones, it was.

It is not, however, immediately clear if Mr Anderson’s much-lauded appointment indicates that LVMH presently believes in the advantages of a singular, powerful creative vision or that Mr Anderson was not agreeable to designing only the menswear. The crown jewels on what is already the apex of the industry is the haute couture. He would not want to forgo the opportunity as it is is not just another creative responsibility; it is a momentous career achievement. Jonathan Anderson is known for his intellectual approach, boundary-pushing designs, and his ability to define a clear and compelling brand identity, as he has demonstrated at Loewe and JW Anderson. He would not approach Dior differently.