Recovering fashion designer John Galliano has said his comeback will be “bigger and better” than before — and sources tell Page Six it will be with Maison Martin Margiela.
Galliano has secretly been in talks to start a haute couture line for Margiela, which was acquired by the Diesel brand in 2002 and has been without a creative director since 2009, after its founder, Belgian designer Martin Margiela, left the business. But Galliano’s rep says he’s in talks with a number of brands, and there’s nothing official with Margiela.
Galliano was unceremoniously fired by Dior in 2011 after making anti-Semitic remarks in a Paris cafe, and made his fashion return with a temporary residency at Oscar de la Renta’s studio in New York early last year.
But although Galliano’s heralded collection with de la Renta in February 2013 was declared a huge success, it was decided the former Christian Dior designer would not make a full comeback with Oscar after they failed to come to terms over money and staff he required for his atelier.
Now, a source tells us, “Galliano has been talking to Margiela to take the brand into haute couture. He has already hired five or six staff members for his atelier in Paris.”
Renzo Rosso, the majority shareholder in Margiela and president of OTB, the parent company of brands including Diesel, Marni and Viktor & Rolf, had previously denied rumors of a deal with Galliano. But he also said, “Who wouldn’t like to work with him? If he ever got back his name, I would be the first to produce his collections.”
In June, Galliano told France’s Le Point newspaper: “I have yet to design my best collection. The new Galliano will be even bigger and better.” He further explained: “I love working, it’s my therapy. I can draw until 4 in the morning every night and not feel tired,” and said of the therapy he’s undergone, “I’ve come face to face with my demons, medicine and alcohol. I have rebuilt myself again.”
But Galliano’s rep said of any Margiela deal, “He’s having active and ongoing conversations with a few companies.”