Photo: Szilveszter Makó/Courtesy of Zara
After a two-year absence, John Galliano has returned to the fashion space in an unexpected way. The infamous designer has inked a two-year creative partnership with Spanish retailer Zara. The first collection will enter stores this September.Galliano will “re-author the brand’s archives through a series of seasonal collections,” per the press release. He’ll deconstruct garments from Zara’s past seasons and update reconfigure them into new pieces. “I’m super excited, because it’s not something I’ve done before, so that kind of tickles me — the newness, the excitement, the actual process,” Galliano told Vogue Business. “Even with my team, I have to keep reminding them daily: ‘No, it’s not this, and it’s not that. We are re-authoring.’ It’s been quite fun, and I just think it’s a very positive thing to be doing at this time, and really sustainable from a creative point of view, which is super interesting to me.”This marks Galliano’s first major gig since he stepped down as creative director of Maison Margiela in December 2024. He worked at the French luxury house for 10 years, where his distinct design language helped drive double-digit year-over-year sales growth for the label. Prior to that, he was the creative director at Dior from 1996 to 2011, when he was fired for spouting antisemitic and racist remarks. Despite his controversial past, the designer has more or less been able to successfully rehabilitate his image. He’s still deemed a creative genius among most industry insiders, and despite remaining mostly out of the spotlight, is welcomed to major events. (Galliano-era Maison Margiela had a huge presence on the 2024 Met Gala red carpet). Although many speculated Galliano had left Margiela to join another European luxury house, Zara is evidently the next stop on his redemption arc.Do you have an emerging brand you want to share with Fashionista readers? Jumpstart your business with our affordable digital offerings.
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