After his infamous anti-Semitic rant in 2011 went public, celebrated fashion designer John Galliano left Christian Dior in disgrace. Now, three years later, he's returning to the fashion industry, joining Paris house Maison Martin Margiela as its creative director.
Galliano was booted from Dior after he was caught drunkenly hurling anti-Semitic remarks at a couple at a Paris bar. A court fined him $8,400 for "anti-Semitic behavior." Galliano later apologized for the incident and said he was an alcoholic.
Galliano is currently embroiled in a labor case against his former employers for wrongful termination, WWD reports. Galliano is seeking $7.6 million, and a works tribunal will begin hearings in Galliano's case on Nov. 4.
Maison Martin Margiela's parent company, OTB, released a statement Monday announcing Galliano's hire and praising his "non-conformist creative talent." He will oversee the design of all Margiela lines, including couture as well as women's and men's ready-to-wear collections, according to WWD. Galliano's first designs for Margiela are expected at Paris Couture Week in January.
"Margiela is ready for a new charismatic creative soul," Renzo Rosso, president of OTB, said in a statement. "John Galliano is one of the greatest, undisputed talents of all time — a unique, exceptional couturier for a maison that always challenged and innovated the world of fashion. I look forward to his return to create that fashion dream that only he can create, and wish him to here find his new home."