Bill Gaytten had quite a lot to deal with in 2011 when John Galliano was fired from his post at Christian Dior and his namesake label. Gaytten, who was second in command at both houses at the time, was left to carry on without Galliano’s trademark flamboyant flair and romantic aesthetic. His first couture collection post-Galliano at Dior was met with scathing reviews. It was clear that the house needed some new leadership to take it into a new era. After Raf Simons was appointed as creative director of Dior, Gaytten had a lighter workload and more time to focus on John Galliano, where he sits at the helm today.
Transitioning into a post-Galliano era, however, wasn’t easy for Gaytten, who told the The New York Times that his life is “a lot better than it was two years ago” when Galliano was first fired. “That was a very difficult year, year and a half. Just didn’t see it coming. With hindsight — surprise, surprise,” he said. “I’m not doing self-pity, because I don’t, but it was a very difficult situation for me. Just to be sort of shoved suddenly — the curtains open and someone pushes you out like a petrified rabbit in the headlights.”
Rumors surrounding Galliano’s return to fashion have been circulating as of late and it seems like the fashion world is ready to welcome the disgraced designer back into the fold. We’re not sure if he would ever make a case to take the reins back at his namesake label, but at the moment, it seems Gaytten is content with executing his vision at Galliano.
[via The New York Times]
