44 facts about John Galliano!

John Galliano is a famous fashion designer that its taste has been really influential in the industry.

John Galliano is an iconic fashion designer whose name is really important in the fashion industry. Let’s find out more about it!

1. His full name is John Charles Galliano.
2. He is a Gibraltar-born British fashion designer.
3. He was born on 28th of November in 1960.
4. He was born in Gibraltar.
5. His father, Juan Galliano, was Gibraltarian and his mother, Anita Guillén, was Spanish and has two sisters.
6. Galliano’s father was a plumber.
7. His family moved to England in pursuit of work when Galliano was six.
8. They settled in Streatham, South London, before moving to Dulwich
9. Later they moved to Brockley.
10. He was raised in a strict Roman Catholic family.
11. Galliano, who was shy and diffident, often spoke of his struggle to fit in.
12. His mother was a flamenco teacher.
13. She used would dress him in his “smartest” outfit even for visiting the local shops.
14. His attire, combined with his creative sensibilities, caused him frequent persecution at the London boys’ grammar school he attended.
15. He received his bachelor in Fashion Design with a first-class honors degree.
16. His first collection was inspired by the French Revolution and entitled Les Incroyables.
17. He was the head designer of 2 famous French fashion companies.
18. Givenchy from July 1995 to October 1996 and  Christian Dior from October 1996 to March 2011.
19. He was also the head of his own label John Galliano from 1988 to 2011.
20. On the back of this success, Galliano rented studio space in London.
21. Moreover, he would take his enjoyment of London’s nightlife to extremes.
22. His talent though was not matched by a head for business.
23. Initially, financial backing came from Johan Brun, and when this agreement came to an end, Danish entrepreneur Ole Peder Bertelsen, owner of firm Aguecheek, who were also backing Katharine Hamnett at the time, took over.
24. This agreement ended in 1988 and by 1990, he was bankrupt and, after his own London-based label failed to re-ignite his fortunes, he moved to Paris in search of financial backing and a strong client base.
25. At present, Galliano is the creative director of Paris-based fashion house Maison Margiela.
26. He’s been awarded 4 times as the British Designer of the Year.
27. In a 2004 poll for the BBC, he was named the fifth most influential person in British culture.
28. In 1993, Galliano’s financial agreement with Amor ended and he did not have a showing in October, missing the season.
29. With the help of American Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour and André Leon Talley, then European Correspondent at Vanity Fair.
30. Galliano was introduced to Portuguese socialite and fashion patron Sao Schlumberger and financial backers of venture firm Arbela Inc, John Bult and Mark Rice.
31. It was through this partnership that Galliano received the financial backing and high society stamp needed to give him credibility in Paris.
32. This collection was important in the development of Galliano as a fashion house and is regarded as a ‘fashion moment’ in high fashion circles.
33. In July 1995, he was appointed as the designer of Givenchy by Bernard Arnault, owner of luxury goods conglomerate LVMH, thus becoming the first British designer to head a French haute couture house.
34. On the 21st of January in 1996, Galliano presented his first couture show at the helm of Givenchy at the Stade de France
35. He was later replaced by Alexander McQueen.
36. On 25th of February 2011, Dior announced they had suspended Galliano following his arrest over an alleged anti-Jewish tirade in a Paris bar
37. Natalie Portman who had an endorsement contract with Dior said she was “deeply shocked” by Galliano’s comments.
38. In early 2013, Galliano accepted an invitation from Oscar de la Renta, brokered by Anna Wintour, for a temporary residency at de la Renta’s design studio to help prepare for a showing of his Fall 2013 ready-to-wear collection during February New York Fashion Week.
39. On the 26th of September in 2018, Galliano made a statement in Paris at his Maison Margiela show, when he unveiled Mutiny, his first perfume for the fashion house.
40. The perfume is a reflection of his vision of the Maison Margiela women.
41. He had a relationship with fellow Central St Martins student and fashion designer John Flett
42. Galliano described him as his “soulmate”.
43. Galliano currently shares his Paris home with his long-term partner Alexis Roche, a style consultant.
44. He is vegetarian for health reasons, telling French Elle that “The energy that I get from having fewer toxins in my body is extraordinary”.