Sidney Toledano, actress Natalie Portman and John Galliano. Pix Dimitrios Kambouris/WireImage
Diors’ creative director, John Galliano has been fired following an alleged anti-Semitic and assault in Paris last Thursday night. British born Galliano took over the reigns of Dior in October 1996, and has reportedly taken the house past the 1 billion dollar mark in his time there.
Galliano was taken into police custody on Thursday night after allegedly launching a verbal and racist attack on two women dining in La Perle Brasserie in Paris. Following his arrest he was suspended from Dior pending the results of the Police investigation. In the wake of his suspension, Dior Chief executive Sidney Toledano made a public statement that “Dior affirms with the utmost conviction in its policy of zero tolerance towards any anti-Semitic or racist behaviour.”
Galliano denied the claims, accused the women involved of defamation and began proceedings with his lawyer to take them on in court. However, the final nail in Gallianos’ coffin came on Monday when the Sun newspaper released a video in which Galliano appeared pretty sozzled and coming out with horrific remarks such as “I love Hitler” and “People like you would be dead. Your mothers, your forefathers, would all be f****** gassed.”
Representatives of Galliano have stated that he was a set up by the women in a bid to make money, and that he was under huge strain ahead of Milan fashion week this week. However, Dior bosses have branded his behaviour as “odious” and have dismissed him as creative director. In his official statement confirming the dismissal, Sidney Toledano said “I unequivocally condemn the statements made by John Galliano, which are in total contradiction to the longstanding core values of Christian Dior” Oscar winner Natalie Portman, who is the face of Christian Diors’ Miss Cherie fragrance, and a proud Jew, stated that she is “deeply shocked and disgusted” by the incident and that she “will not be associated with Mr Galliano in any way.”
Galliano has now headed to rehab in a bid to sort himself out has also hired London Lawyer Gerrard Tyrrell, or Harbottle and Lewis, to help him in his bid to fight the dismissal. Tyrrell is the same lawyer that represented Kate Moss during her 2005 cocaine scandal. Dior representatives have stated that the Christian Dior show will still go ahead as planned in Milan this week, the first show in 15 years that Galliano will miss.
It is a terrible way to end such an incredible career. There is no question that Galliano is amazingly talented, let’s just hope he gets the help he needs in rehab. Who knows what the future holds for him now?
And with any luck, they might get to the root as to why the hell he sent Nicole Kidman to the Oscars looking like that. We can only hope.
By Fiona Maher
