John Charles Galliano (born 1960 in Gibraltar) is a narrative designer who defined high fashion in the 1990s and 2000s.
After distinguishing himself at Central Saint Martins and launching his own label in London, he was appointed designer at Givenchy in 1995 and artistic director at Dior the following year in 1996. The appointment of a British genius at a long-established French fashion house was groundbreaking at the time, and the runway thereafter became a theater in itself. The clothes were not complete in themselves; they were a comprehensive art form, with the direction, music, and historical references all resonating with each other.
Under his influence, the red carpet also transformed into a "stage." A symbolic example is the chartreuse Dior dress worn by Nicole Kidman at the 1997 Academy Awards. It is still talked about today as an "event" that brought haute couture to Hollywood and redefined the relationship between celebrities and luxury fashion houses. Dior's 1999 "Saddle Bag," an iconic design that directly replicates the asymmetry of a horse's saddle, became a "perennial It bag" that continues to be reevaluated in the wake of Y2K.
When we think of Galliano's masterpiece collections, we think of couture pieces that intertwine historical and fictional figures.
He did not merely quote 18th and 19th century portraits, orientalist motifs, dancer movements, military uniforms, or fragments of national costumes, but translated them into the modern body through the manipulation of cuts and materials. Oversized corsets, bias draping, and extreme tailoring transformed the female figure from a "protected subject" to an "active performer." Behind the glamour, precision of sewing and intelligence of pattern always resided.
However, his glorious journey came to an end in 2011. After a video of him making racist and anti-Semitic remarks in a Paris cafe went viral, he was immediately fired from Dior and found guilty (with a suspended fine) by a Paris court. This incident brought about a sharp confrontation between freedom of fashion and the responsibility of expression, and it also became the starting point for subsequent discussions of "cancellation" and "resurrection."
After undergoing training and rehabilitation behind the scenes, he was announced as the creative director of Maison Margiela in 2014. The paradox of welcoming a "greatest director" into a house of anonymity and craftsmanship initially drew skepticism, but he chose a "quietly bold" revival centered on atelier principles. From his debut Artisanal (haute couture) collection, he conducted experiments that redefined the relationship between fabric and the body, updating the brand's language.
The turning point came in Spring 2024 with Artisanal. The collection, set in an underground space along the Seine, was a representation of Paris at night. The decadence and sensuality reminiscent of the photographs of Brassay, the unparalleled tailoring, and Pat McGrath's "glass skin" makeup created a frenzy that spread beyond the fashion world. Critics marveled at the purity of the collection, which was "100% Galliano," and it was described as "a collection that will go down in history."
At the same time, his "rehabilitation" raises questions about the merits and demerits of it all. The documentary "High & Low - John Galliano" (2024) intertwines Galliano's regret, the intentions of his supporters, and the memories of his victims, confronting audiences with questions about art, ethics, and the conditions for forgiveness. Fashion is not a game isolated from society—this work is important in that it reminds us of this self-evident fact.
Overall, Galliano has advanced the times with his ability to transform clothes into stories. His masterpieces are still alive today, and are passed down to the younger generation of designers and stylists.
On the other hand, his career also shows that creativity and responsibility are inextricably linked. It is easy to praise his work in isolation, or to completely reject his work solely because of his mistakes.
The difficult part is to take both perspectives into account, to simultaneously examine the value of expression and the fragility of human beings. Galliano's work from the late 20th century to the 21st century calls for a mature appreciation of this.
