Fragrance house

John Galliano

Founded in 1984, the John Galliano design house developed its early identity through John Galliano’s Central Saint Martins graduate collection, Les Incroyables, which drew on French historical dress and helped define a historical, romantic and deconstructive approach. Galliano led his own brand from that year before serving as artistic director of Givenchy in 1995 and becoming Christian Dior’s artistic director in October 1996; his first Dior haute couture collection was presented in January 1997. His creative language was associated with historical references, narrative design and theatrical presentations. That Dior tenure ended in 2011 after public antisemitic remarks prompted his dismissal. In late 2014, Renzo Rosso’s Only The Brave appointed Galliano creative director of Maison Margiela, where his first Artisanal runway collection followed in January 2015, synthesizing his historical imagination with Margiela’s deconstructive codes. The brand introduced its first fragrance in 2008, a powdery floral built around iris, rose and violet, with incense and aldehydic effects linked to theatrical makeup and greasepaint.