Christian Dior appoints Michela Kalb as head of haute couture and ready-to-wear

Christian Dior, the renowned French luxury fashion house under the LVMH Group, is strengthening the teams of its Creative Director, Jonathan Anderson, by bringing Michela Kalb back to its ranks. The Sardinian-born Italian previously distinguished herself during a decade-long tenure at Dior in the mid-2000s, where she served as director of women’s ready-to-wear before holding the same role at Louis Vuitton.

She has now been appointed director of haute couture, women’s and men’s ready-to-wear, women’s shoes, and baby collections at Christian Dior. “In this capacity, she will join the management committee,” the company stated.

The ready-to-wear expert is set to take up her post on October 1, the same day Anderson’s debut women’s ready-to-wear collection will be unveiled at Paris Fashion Week. Kalb will become Anderson’s de facto right-hand woman, coordinating all aspects of the house’s collections, from creation to retail.

“I’m delighted that Michela and Dior’s paths are crossing again. I am convinced that she will draw on her vision and knowledge of the house, as well as her extensive product expertise, to develop ever more desirable collections in close collaboration with the creative direction,” said Christian Dior CEO Delphine Arnault in a note shared by the house.

Armed with a degree in business administration from Milan’s Bocconi University, Kalb began her career in 1993 at Italian department store La Rinascente, where she managed women’s ready-to-wear purchasing. Six years later, she joined Prada, advancing from assistant merchandiser to merchandising manager for both Prada and Miu Miu, before relocating to Paris.

In the French capital, she joined the LVMH Group, first at Christian Dior from 2006 to 2017, then at Louis Vuitton, where she continued her role as director of women’s ready-to-wear.