Maria Grazia Chiuri has just been announced as the new Chief Creative Officer of Fendi, marking a return to the house where her career began. Chiuri first joined Fendi in 1989, where she played a key role in the creation of the iconic Baguette Bag. Her initial tenure at Fendi is also notable for her influence in the decision to hire Pierpaolo Piccioli. She left Fendi in 1999 to join Valentino, where she remained until 2016, when she became Artistic Director of the women’s collections at Christian Dior. Chiuri stayed at Dior until 2025.

Chiuri’s ascension to the helm of Fendi comes exactly a year after Kim Jones’ resignation, which occurred just before the house was set to celebrate its centenary. In the interim, the collections have been designed on a co-ed basis by Silvia Venturini Fendi.

“Maria Grazia Chiuri is one of the greatest creative talents in fashion today,” Bernard Arnault, Chairman and CEO of LVMH Group said in a statement. “I am delighted that she has chosen to return to Fendi to continue expressing her creativity within the LVMH group, after sharing her bold vision of fashion.”

Maria Grazia Chiuri herself added: ““I return to Fendi with honour and joy, having had the privilege of beginning my career under the guidance of the House’s founders, the five sisters. Fendi has always been a forge of talents and a starting point for many creatives in the industry, thanks to the extraordinary ability of these five women to foster and nurture generations of vision and skill.”

Chiuri will present her first collection for Fendi during the Fall/Winter 2026-2027 season in Milan next February.