From Dior to disgrace, it’s been a tumultuous few years for couturier John Galliano. Now, his surprising next move is as creative director for the high street favourite. Here, we ask industry experts whether his luxe appeal along with sustainable ‘re-authoring’ promises will be enough to lure shoppers away from even lower-cost competitors like Shein
Designer John Galliano, who signed a two-year contract with Zara. Photo: Szilveszter Makó
These days, it can feel like there’s a new high street collaboration dropping every other week. In the past few months, we’ve seen Marks & Spencer releasing designs by Bella Freud and 16Arlington, Tolu Coker’s capsule for Topshop, Stella McCartney working with H&M and, just this week, Victoria Beckham teaming up with Gap.
In such a crowded space, it takes genuine boldness to make an impression. Last month, the announcement of Zara’s newest deal did just that: the fast fashion juggernaut has signed a two-year agreement with John Galliano, the controversial British designer and former creative director of Dior, Givenchy and Maison Margiela. He has been charged with “re-authoring” designs from Zara’s archive through “a series of seasonal collections”, the first of which is due to land in September.