On Thursday, Valentino had confirmed that Maria Grazia Chiuri would be leaving her position of creative directorship at the Italian label, which she had shared with Pierpaolo Piccioli.

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As widely expected, Christian Dior officially announced Italian designer Maria Grazia Chiuri's appointment as the label's new head creative on Friday, July 8, tweeting "Dior is delighted to welcome Ms. Maria Chiuri as artistic director of women's couture, RTW and accessory collections."

On Thursday, Valentino had confirmed that Maria Grazia Chiuri would be leaving her position of creative directorship at the Italian label, which she had shared with Pierpaolo Piccioli.

The rumours milling around online since late June turned out to be true. As expected, it's the Italian designer Maria Grazia Chiuri who will take over as creative director of the Dior fashion house, replacing Raf Simons who stood down in October.

As well as revealing Maria Grazia Chiuri's upcoming position piloting Dior's women's collections, the news also confirms that she'll also be going it alone in this latest role. Until now, the designer, in her 50s, has principally worked in tandem with associate Pierpaolo Piccioli, with whom she shares a creative vision. Pierpaolo Piccioli also sets out on a new individual artistic path, as the sole creative director of Valentino. For Chiuri, the new appointment signals a radical change as she will also be leaving her native Italy for Paris, France.

A new era for Dior

After training at the European Institute of Design in Rome, Maria Grazia Chiuri started her career at Fendi, notably specialising in accessories, where she contributed to a certain revival of the label.

These accessories soon caught the eye of Valentino Garavani, who snapped up Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pierpaolo Piccioli to work for his label. The pair designed several accessories lines for the Rome-based brand, before becoming Valentino's creative directors in 2008.

This once again spelled an age of renewal, as the pair took the brand in a new direction. The designers modernised the image of Valentino, reaching out to younger generations while maintaining the fundamental codes of the Italian fashion house.

Maria Grazia Chiuri's appointment could now spell a new chapter in the history of Dior. After the French fashion house presented an autumn/winter 2016-2017 haute couture collection billed as a "return to the source" on Monday, July 4, the brand could be ready to turn a page. Time will tell.

The appointment already marks the dawning of a new era for Dior in one respect, however, since Maria Grazia Chiuri is the first woman to hold the label's creative directorship. From Yves Saint Laurent to John Galliano to Raf Simons, Dior has always had men at the helm of its women's collections.

The Italian designer's first collection for Dior will be unveiled at the upcoming Paris Fashion Week on September 30, with a collection for spring/summer 2017.

Meanwhile, the house went ahead with a very punk-inspired men's collection at Menswear Fashion Week.