Born: Gibraltar, 1960
A romantic and maverick in equal proportions, John Galliano has been living his dream as design director of Christian Dior since 1996.
The son of a plumber, with a Spanish mother, Galliano lived in Gibraltar until he was 6 years old, when the family decamped to London. He attended Wilson's Grammar School for boys and then studied textiles at City and East London College before securing a place at Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design. Galliano's final collection in 1984, entitled `Les Incroyables', was picked up by Vogue's column `Spy', which described the rising star as a `modish costumier, with a preference for romanticism and androgyny'.
Despite reams of press coverage, a first-class honours degree and a window display in Browns on London's South Molton Street, Galliano's path was not a smooth one. His debut coincided with a tricky time for British fashion, when the country's reputation centred on inspired ideas and zero business sense. In 1986 he acquired financial backing from Peder Bertelson and the following year Galliano was presenting the serious face of British fashion: slicked-back hair and a wardrobe of interchangeable Armani suits. He told Vogue, `I always polish my shoes - including the underside - as Gloria Swanson used to do.'
Although named British Designer of the Year in 1988 and again in 1994, Galliano endured a long, hard struggle. `I wanted to work with people who understood my things, to deliver on time. I wanted to do it properly,' he told Vogue in 1988. International success was elusive, backers came and went, and Galliano often produced collections while sleeping on friends' floors. When financial constraints dictated a new direction, Galliano brought out a cheaper line - Galliano's Girl in 1991, followed by Galliano Genes. Despite his aptitude for diffusion lines, he remained a couturier at heart, often fingering toiles by Balenciaga and Charles James in the vaults of London's Victoria and Albert Museum.
Galliano's pursuit of recognition was relentless. He moved to Paris in 1994, and two years later made a resounding impression with an impeccable collection inspired by the opera Madame Butterfly. In one fell swoop, Galliano underlined the purity and modernity of the kimono.
After months of feverish speculation, on 11 July 1995, Galliano was appointed the successor to Hubert de Givenchy - and made history as the first British designer to be appointed head of an established French house. On 14 October 1996 John Galliano was appointed design director of Christian Dior, his debut unveiled on 20 January 1997.
Galliano is first and foremost a romantic. He is also a historian, an explorer, and a person who is unashamedly in love with fabric and form. Some say his heart rules his head. No one questions his talent. Galliano remains a fabulously inventive designer with a healthy respect for the house built by the legendary Christian Dior.
