John Galliano to Create Seasonal Collections for Zara 0 14

John Galliano is returning to work – and he is doing so not through couture, but in an unexpected tandem with mass-market. The British designer has signed a two-year contract with Zara, during which he will be reinterpreting the brand's archives.

Galliano spoke about this new stage of his career during Paris Fashion Week, emphasizing that the project is not about creating something from scratch, but about working with the existing heritage of the brand.

"I have been looking through Zara's archives lately. The idea is to reinterpret them," noted the designer.

The idea for the collaboration arose from his conversations with Marta Ortega Pérez – the chairwoman of Inditex (which includes brands such as Zara, Massimo Dutti, Pull & Bear, and Bershka – Ed.). Their acquaintance began through exhibition projects of the MOP foundation, where fashion and photography intersect. According to the designer, it was this friendship that led to the joint work.

Such collaborations are not new for Zara: in recent years, the brand has already worked with names like Narciso Rodriguez and Stefano Pilati, as well as released capsules with Kate Moss. However, the partnership with Galliano stands out in scale – the project is planned for two years.

The designer himself admits that this is a completely new experience for him.

"I am very excited because I have never done this before... We are rewriting the script. It’s quite fun, and I think it’s a very positive step right now," Galliano confesses.

After leaving Maison Margiela in 2024, Galliano took a break and temporarily disappeared from the industry. He dedicated this period to rethinking – walking without a phone, visiting museums, and seeking new orientations. According to him, this helped him "start trusting his intuition again."

The designer is now working in a studio near Paris, where he experiments with form and proportions. Future collections, he says, will not be tied to gender or seasons, but will become independent statements outside of conventional frameworks.