John Galliano Loses Suit Against Dior
It was the verdict the fashion world was waiting for – and now it’s been decided that John Galliano was not sacked unfairly by Dior in 2011 when he made anti-Semitic comments in public.
Galliano had sued Dior after his high-profile sacking, arguing that they knew perfectly well that he was an addict, did nothing about it, and were therefore partially to blame for the chaos that led to his firing.
In case you’ve forgotten, the sacking led Galliano to years in the wilderness, until a residency with the late Oscar De La Renta and a new gig as head of Maison Martin Margiela resurrected him (sort of) in 2013-14.
In the courtroom, Galliano painted a dark picture of the behind-the-scenes world of high couture, involving drugs, huge amounts of money, and enormous pressure.
“They were fully aware of my state, I took Valium to get through fittings,” he said. And he described his 17 years at Dior as “blackened” by the firing, saying that he “did not realise that its success, multiplying sales by four, came at a destructive and exorbitant cost: my physical and mental health.”
The tale – “always more work,” Galliano said, “always more obligations, always more pressure, a dangerous and pathological spiral, without control” – is now a familiar one in fashion circles. Galliano is the poster child for a certain kind of epic burnout, a flamboyant personality who couldn’t handle the pressure and collapsed.
The new mode of super-designers – Hedi Slimane, Alexander Wang, Nicolas Ghesquiere, Raf Simons – is a massive contrast: precise, quiet, tightly controlled, and unwilling to be seen as partiers or excessive personalities. It’s an interesting backlash that Galliano did much to create.
The loss won’t affect Galliano’s bank balance too much – he’s been ordered to pay Dior and the other house he was suing, John Galliano itself, one euro each in damages.
But it sends a clear message to designers that couture houses refuse to be blamed for the weaknesses and downfalls of their designers. Raf Simons at Dior is probably taking note as we speak.
As to whether Galliano has recovered the health he says was destroyed by his years of Dior – only his time at Maison Martin Margiela will show how he copes. Whether the house does a less hectic schedule to avoid sending their damaged designer round the bend remains to be seen.
Image: John Galliano.
