After a decade of discreet work at Maison Margiela, John Galliano is stepping back into the fashion spotlight with a surprising partnership. For two years, the British couturier will design collections for the Spanish brand Zara.
John Galliano’s slow return to the fashion world
As one of the most iconic and influential figures in fashion history, John Galliano continues to inspire countless designers even today. Better still, his creations for Dior and his own label now resell at eye-watering prices. They are worn by celebrities on red carpets and at major cultural events. The free-spirited British designer left his mark on 1990s and 2000s fashion. At the time, he briefly served as creative director at Givenchy in 1995, then at Dior.
Between 1996 and 2011, John Galliano reshaped Dior’s aesthetic. While remaining faithful to its codes and heritage, he also challenged convention, staging theatrical runway shows fed by his eclectic imagination. He drew inspiration from his cosmopolitan childhood in Battersea, on the outskirts of London, as well as from his experience designing costumes for theatre. Success came almost immediately for him. Princess Diana wore one of his very first Dior dresses, while actresses and socialites alike embraced his designs.
However, a scandal soon tarnished his brilliant career… Accused of racism and antisemitism, the designer was dismissed from his position in March 2011. Subsequently, he gradually withdrew from the fashion world. He made a discreet return three years later as creative director of Maison Margiela, before leaving his post in 2024. Although he has given a handful of interviews—talking at times about his addictions and time in rehab—John Galliano has remained discreet and silent for over a decade.
From Ludovic de Saint Sernin to Steven Meisel: Zara’s new strategy
The surprise at his appointment within the Zara ready-to-wear group is therefore complete. While Galliano’s name has largely lingered as a reminder of Dior’s golden age—Jonathan Anderson has alluded to that era in his recent collections—his influence, or rather shadow, depending on one’s perspective, now takes on a more tangible form.
Moreover, Zara is familiar with this strategy. After several collaborations with Stefano Pilati and Ludovic de Saint Sernin, the Spanish brand designed the stage costume worn by singer Bad Bunny for his Super Bowl 2026 halftime show last January. This growing influence in the fashion realm is further reinforced by campaigns featuring models like Kate Moss, Naomi Campbell, and Kaia Gerber, often captured by renowned photographers such as Steven Meisel. It is a well-honed strategy that allows Zara to move upmarket and, in doing so, attract a new clientele—if not at the risk of alienating others.
The news of John Galliano’s involvement at the brand is thus part of this aesthetic and commercial repositioning. While he is, of course, not becoming the artistic director of Zara’s collections, the British designer is nonetheless entering into a two-year “creative partnership.”
Throughout this very unexpected collaboration, he will draw on the Spanish brand’s archives, whose designs often take inspiration from the wardrobes of luxury houses, to create seasonal capsule collections. The first will be released in September 2026, to the delight of Galliano’s fans. However, it might also spark negative reactions on social media, where fashion influencers and some journalists have been quick to remind everyone of the scandals that overshadowed Galliano in the early 2010s, as well as the ethical issues surrounding the Spanish fast fashion company.
