Chanel's Artistic Director Departs, Kering Creates Chief Brand Officer Role and more

This week, WWD reports on Virginie Viard's exit from Chanel as artistic director. Also, get the exclusive story on Kering's newly created chief brand officer position. And in case you missed it, Luis Vuitton debuted its first high jewelry tiara.

EXCLUSIVE: Kering Names Laurent Claquin Chief Brand Officer

Kering has created its first-ever group chief brand officer role and is appointing Laurent Claquin to the position. This marks the latest change in its senior management ranks as it implements turnaround efforts amid a global slowdown in spending on luxury goods.

Claquin, president of Kering Americas since 2012, will be in charge of communications for the French luxury group and will relocate to Paris from New York City. Effective July 1, his appointment follows the departure in March of Valérie Duport, whose title was chief communications and image officer.

“The creation of this role aims to enhance the appeal of Kering’s corporate brand as well as increase its visibility and influence,” Kering said in a statement shared exclusively with WWD.

Read on here for the full story.

Virginie Viard, Artistic Director of Chanel, Departs

Virginie Viard, artistic director of fashion collections at Chanel, has departed the company after five years, according to a statement from Chanel on Wednesday evening.

A new creative organization will be “announced in due course,” said a Chanel spokeswoman.

The 62-year-old Viard, who succeeded Karl Lagerfeld, has been able to “renew the codes of the house while respecting the creative heritage of Chanel,” said the company.

Read on here for the full story.

EXCLUSIVE: Louis Vuitton Unveils Its First High Jewelry Tiara, Monogram Star cut Diamond and More

After the billion-year timeframe that shaped the Earth and its treasures, a century’s worth of seismic shifts inspired Louis Vuitton’s artistic director of watches and jewelry Francesca Amfitheatrof.

And the 100-piece opening chapter of the “Awakened Hands, Awakened Minds” high jewelry collection is shaking things up in its own right, with firsts that include fully traceable rubies, a yellow LV Monogram Star cut diamond and a tiara.

For the 11 themes unveiled Wednesday in Saint-Tropez, Amfitheatrof explored the 100 or so years that followed the French Revolution and end with the 1901 Universal Exposition.

Read on here for the full story.

Check out more of this week's top stories here:

• Zendaya to Become Brand Partner of On, Will Work on Reimagining Product

• Who’s Afraid of Investing in Black-owned Beauty Brands? How the Beauty Industry Is Failing Black Entrepreneurs

• PVH Earnings Top Estimates as Tommy CEO Martijn Hagman Steps Down

• Caroline Brown Named The North Face’s Global Brand President