MILAN — Maria Grazia Chiuri is back.
After exiting Dior in May, the Italian designer has been appointed chief creative officer of Fendi. This confirms rampant speculation that Chiuri was headed to the Rome-based house, which, like Dior, is controlled by LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton. It is a return to Fendi for Chiuri, as the designer kicked off her career there in 1989, helping to boost the brand’s accessories offer.
“Maria Grazia Chiuri is one of the greatest creative talents in fashion today, and I am delighted that she has chosen to return to Fendi to continue expressing her creativity within the LVMH group, after sharing her bold vision of fashion,” said Bernard Arnault, chairman and chief executive officer of LVMH. “Surrounded by the Fendi teams and in a city that is dear to her, I am convinced that Maria Grazia will contribute to the artistic renewal and future success of the maison, while perpetuating its unique heritage.”
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Chiuri’s first womenswear collection for the fall 2026 season will be shown in Milan in February, said Fendi chairman and CEO Ramon Ros in an interview. This will be followed by menswear in June and couture in July, pointing to a departure from the past, as now “one single person will bring consistency across the board and long-term solidity to the narrative.
“This is beautiful news, we are very happy,” Ros added.
Asked if chief creative officer was a new role for Fendi, he said “yes, and it is one that allows her to fully express her vision. This current moment of uncertainty in the industry can be overcome, and it can be an opportunity if creativity is seen as a motor to do so, but you need someone who has the determination, total control of the metier, and a strong vision that will remove all the white noise and focus on the products, without stopping at that but diving deep down, creating a creative legacy with the community.”
He further elaborated, saying that the role implies “no longer to simply design beautiful clothes but to curate a culture and hold a mirror to the world we live in.”
“I return to Fendi with honor and joy, having had the privilege of beginning my career under the guidance of the house’s founders, the five sisters,” Chiuri said in a statement. “Fendi has always been a forge of talents and a starting point for many creatives in the industry, thanks to the extraordinary ability of these five women to foster and nurture generations of vision and skill. I am grateful to Mr. Arnault for entrusting me with the task of helping to write a new chapter in the history of this extraordinary women-founded company.”
At the end of September, Silvia Venturini Fendi was named honorary president, which confirmed speculation that, after the exit of Kim Jones from his role as artistic director of haute couture, ready-to-wear and fur collections for women in October last year, more changes could be taking place at the brand.
Fendi and Chiuri “share the same values of Italian artisanal craftsmanship, and she can strengthen production also at the industrial level,” said Ros, highlighting a renewed focus on creating “unique and iconic products, that will give joy to customers and empower them for the long-term and not for one season or just to be cool or fashionable and Maria Grazia is the right person to do this.”
The fact that Chiuri has worked at Fendi before and knows the brand well helps to “share the history of the brand and what it can become. With Silvia being named honorary president, they will bring more visibility and attention to the archive and what has been done in the past, which is not always so recognized or well-known outside,” Ros argued. “We are working for the next chapter, the next 100 years full of passion and vision to bring the brand where it deserves to be.”
While both part of the LVMH group for years, Ros first met Chiuri during the summer “when we were finalizing the candidates, and I have always respected her as woman leader, for her consistency, determination and metier, which are the foundations of a successful maison. She is such a professional and her discipline is amazing. She is dedicated and has put in the hours, it takes years to become so skilled. All this gels with our idea of unique and long-term products.”
Asked about Chiuri’s main talents, Ros said that she “has a very strong empathy with customers, she is very intelligent and in a second she understands the context, what is happening in the world and what the world needs. This is important, because sometimes designers need to be more socioligists than designers.”
The executive said Delfina Delettrez Fendi, Silvia’s daughter, is staying on, in charge of the jewelry collections for the brand. “Fendi has long been a hotbed of talent, so many designers started working here and have moved on to head major brands, a testament to the impact on the community and the industry,” Ros said. In addition to Chiuri, examples include Pierpaolo Piccioli, Alessandro Michele and Frida Giannini, among others.
Venturini Fendi represents the third generation of the Fendi family. From 1992 until 2019, she seconded Karl Lagerfeld in the artistic direction and since 1994 she has been responsible for the accessories and menswear lines. During the centenary of the house this year, she was also tasked with the design of the women’s collections after Jones departed.
Venturini Fendi’s last collection was shown in Milan last month for spring 2026, a colorful, crafty and fun ready-to-wear lineup that came with new highly embellished versions of some of the most successful accessories for the brand, including the Baguette and the Peekaboo.
Chiuri is said to be on friendly terms with Venturini Fendi, who attended Chiuri’s swan song show in May parading Dior’s cruise 2026 collection.
Fendi has also seen changes at the C-suite level, with Ros joining as CEO on July 1. He was previously president and CEO of Louis Vuitton, mainland China, and succeeded Pierre-Emmanuel Angeloglou, who in April became deputy CEO of Christian Dior Couture.
Chiuri in May stepped down as artistic director of women’s collections at Dior, succeeded by Jonathan Anderson.
She departed after nine years at the French brand, the first woman to lead the creation of women’s collections, and writing a key chapter in its history, helping to grow the brand thanks to a mix of commercially successful product and feminist-driven storytelling.
Chiuri’s final collection took place in May, a mix of cruise and haute couture looks shown against the spectacular backdrop of the Villa Albani Torlonia in her hometown of Rome, which some of her regular collaborators attended, including artist Eva Jospin and photographers Brigitte Niedermair, Brigitte Lacombe and Maripol.
Ahead of her last Dior show, Chiuri unveiled her personal investment in Rome’s Teatro della Cometa, which she has been restoring for the past five years.
Chiuri’s collections for Dior, built around strong brand signatures such as the Bar jacket, pleated tulle skirts, goddess gowns and hit accessories like the Book Tote bag and the Slingback shoe, helped the company quadruple revenues from 2.2 billion euros in sales in 2017 to 8.7 billion euros in 2024, according to HSBC estimates. LVMH does not break out revenues by brand.
She has staged blockbuster shows in destinations ranging from Mumbai and Mexico City to Tokyo, Athens, Marrakech and Seoul, showcasing and emphasizing the creativity of local artists and artisans.
Chiuri joined Valentino Garavani and his partner Giancarlo Giammetti at Valentino in 1999. She developed a reputation as a hitmaker, contributing to the hugely successful Baguette bag at Fendi and the Rockstud pump at Valentino.
Chiuri left Valentino in 2016 after 17 years with the brand and eight in her role as co-creative director with Piccioli. Chiuri and Piccioli first worked together at Fendi for 10 years. Garavani selected the designers to boost his brand’s accessories category, which they did, rejuvenating that division. They were promoted to creative directors of accessories at Valentino when Alessandra Facchinetti was assigned the same title for ready-to-wear after Garavani retired in 2007. In 2008, they succeeded Facchinetti as creative directors of the brand.