British designer John Galliano leaves Maison Margiela after 10 years, his ‘wings mended’

By The Associated Press

FILE - In this June 22, 2011 file photo John Galliano leaves a Paris court house, June 2011. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus, File)[ASSOCIATED PRESS/Thibault Camus]

MILAN (AP) — British designer John Galliano is leaving the Maison Margiela fashion house after 10 years as artistic director, the Paris-based brand’s owner Wednesday. No successor has been announced.

“John made it the most cutting-edge couture house in the world,’’ said Renzo Rosso, chairman of Italy’s OTB Group that owns Maison Margiela. Rosso said the last decade “of incredibly intense work, amazing shows and installations, extraordinary beautiful product, have laid the foundations for the future.”

Galliano expressed his gratitude to Rosso for giving him a new chance, adding “I continue to atone, and I will never stop dreaming.” Galliano left fashion in disgrace in 2011 after making antisemitic comments in a Paris bar.

“My wings mended, 10 years later, I am forever grateful for this safe space to create, and his undying support,’’ Galliano said in a statement.

Galliano made his runway debut with Maison Margiela in January 2015, with a small couture collection to a carefully selected audience of about 100 in London. It was the start of a comeback for the flamboyant designer who was dismissed from Christian Dior after he was caught on video making an antisemitic comment.

Givenchy hired Galliano as a young head designer in 1995, before Christian Dior brought him on as creative director the next year. For 15 years, his star rose with theatrical runway shows.