Viard worked alongside the legendary Karl Lagerfeld for years before taking over at the helm after his death in 2019. It was later revealed that Viard would not even be present for her last couture show, which would instead by handled by her team. - Discreet presence -Viard's takeover was seen as a temporary appointment at the time, although she was only the third creative director in Chanel's 114-year history after Lagerfeld and its founder Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel. That never put off buyers, who still flocked to Chanel stores -- sales were up 14.6 percent to $19.7 billion last year. "It underscored the fact the brand is much stronger than the individual designer," wrote Business of Fashion.
