Why Is It So Hard To Be A Woman Designer?
Virginie Viard is leaving Chanel after 30 years working at the house, with five of those in her current position as artistic director. She'd been her predecessor Karl Lagerfeld's right hand for the decades prior. The news of Viard's departure, especially after last month's news that its sales were up 16% to $20 billion last year, was a surprise — but the broader story of a yet another woman leaving a storied house is not.
The big question in fashion currently is why women designers can't seem to get ahead. Currently, creative director roles at fashion's biggest brands are occupied by men (the majority white), with the exception of Maria Grazia Chiuri. It feels a little like an 'old boys' network when you consider how many of them have worked with each other in the past, too despite appointments at Chloé (Chemena Kamali) and Calvin Klein (Veronica Leoni) disrupting the all too predictable male roll call.
And, in a landscape where everyone is a fashion critic, it's seems women designers are the most critiqued. Less than 12 hours after the news broke that Viard was leaving Chanel, Instagram became littered with phrases that, even if intended to be about her work, moved into a more personal space.
'We won,' wrote one fashion professional I follow on Instagram, another shared cheering emojis and countless others got involved. You have to wonder, who would want to put themselves up to such scrutiny? While Viard (who is famously press shy) might not have a public Instagram, it's expected such criticism reverberates down the Chanel corridors and lands on her desk. Remember when the Internet, so appalled by Margot Robbie's Chanel ambassadorship, started the #FreeMargot hashtag?
Criticism, in any role, is expected. It's a part of any position that produces a product, be it in the art, fashion, music or many other spaces. But for women in fashion it can often feel more prickly and targeted. At times, it's unnecessary.
That's not to say that male designer's don't receive a similar level of critique. Sean McGirr's Alexander McQueen debut was particularly fraught with feverish feedback, as was Hedi Slimane's Celine debut in 2018.
But in fashion, as is true with other industries, the criticism levied against men just doesn't feel as loaded as that against women, probably because it rarely becomes a personal attack. Critique often falls on female designers for how they look and dress, especially when those women (like Viard, like Chiuri) are middle aged and don't subscribe to the 'cool decree' the Internet craves.
Even when the numbers on the balance sheet point to nothing but success, women are still subjected to negativity. In the case of both Viard and Chiuri, sales at their respective brands exploded under their watch.
Fashion, though it prioritises being 'for women', still has a 'for women' problem. Consider that Phoebe Philo taking maternity leave during her Celine tenure became headline news. The industry moves in a way that's not often conducive to the needs (and wants) of the contemporary woman.
Viard's not leaving Chanel because of a few keyboard warriors commenting overzealously. The house hasn't released a reason why. Perhaps after so long at the house she might be simply looking for a new opportunity.
The verdict is still out on who will replace Viard at Chanel. Rumours hint at Sarah Burton (who is 'houseless' since leaving Alexander McQueen in 2023), which would be a rich addition to the fashion landscape. What would be equally as wonderful for the industry would be a kinder, fairer practice and platform of opportunity that treats everyone with a shared respect.
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