This oughta make Friday's runway show in Paris real interesting...

John Galliano

Photo By Giovanni Giannoni

MILAN — In the wake of mounting allegations that John Galliano made anti-Semitic and racial slurs on multiple occasions, Christian Dior has fired its star couturier with immediate effect.

In a brief statement, Dior said because of the “odious behavior” of Galliano portrayed in a video circulated Monday, Dior has sidelined him and initiated proceedings to fire him.

Sidney Toledano, Dior’s president and chief executive officer, said, “We unequivocally condemn the statements made by John Galliano which are in total contradiction to the longstanding core values of Christian Dior.”

The dismissal came as a second complaint alleging an anti-Semitic verbal assault was filed with Paris police, and after Natalie Portman, a face for Parfums Christian Dior, denounced Galliano and disassociated herself from him.

The video depicted Galliano in a row with his neighbors at a café. In a slurred voice, he appears to say “I love Hitler,” makes references to people being “gassed” and utters expletives.

Galliano joined Dior in 1996 after one year as couturier at Givenchy. Galliano also has a signature brand that is controlled by Dior and spans designer clothing, jeanswear, children’s wear and accessories.

It is understood that Dior intends to go ahead with its runway show on Friday.

http://www.wwd.com/media-...dule=today

[Edited 3/1/11 10:00am]

Read about this yesterdee so, they gave Gallinao the boot. Where does the House of Dior go from here?

The man is one of my favorite designers and I can not believe that such a gifted man is trashing his career this way. I think Dior will bounce back, Galliano on the other hand will have a few buckets of humble pie to eat before he is cleared from this F up.

TD3 said:

Read about this yesterdee so, they gave Gallinao the boot. Where does the House of Dior go from here?

Good question. Also very awkward that his collection is being presented on Friday - after he was fired. Will people shy away - or will it make his final pieces collectors' items?

Yeah, that was a weird play by the House of Dior. If the buyers love the collection then that is a big "Yes your fantastic" to Galliano. If they ignore it then the house of dior looses $$$$$. It is a loose loose for the house, I'd say. Of course they keep their dignity so to speak.

Wow. I thought he'd get a slap on the wrist.

Deadflow3r said:

Yeah, that was a weird play by the House of Dior. If the buyers love the collection then that is a big "Yes your fantastic" to Galliano. If they ignore it then the house of dior looses $$$$$. It is a loose loose for the house, I'd say. Of course they keep their dignity so to speak.

Exactly. Damned if they do, damned if they don't all around.

As for Galliano, himself...I hope no one else picks him up. If he wants to spout that kind of thing, fine (I'm not the thought police). But I can't imagine any reputable organization allowing their image to be trashed by the likes of him.

Lammastide said:

Wow. I thought he'd get a slap on the wrist.

That's the way it was headed - until they found actual video of him doing the same thing. Dior couldn't turn the other way after that.

So he was just drunk? Is that what it is? If so, amazing, the power of alcohol.

Part of me always wonders when people in such lofty positions do something that could instantly implode everything they have whether they do it on some level to sabotage themselves. I wonder, for example, if there's not some part of Galiano that's relieved to be let go from Dior.

[Edited 3/1/11 9:44am]

Lammastide said:

So he was just drunk? Is that what it is? If so, amazing, the power of alcohol.

Part of me always wonders when people in such lofty positions do something that could instantly implode everything they have whether they do it on some level to sabotage themselves. I wonder, for example, if there's not some part of Galiano that's relieved to be let go from Dior.

Drunk and an anti-Semite.

Shouldn't the title of this thread have been: 'Galliano shown the Dior'?

Genesia said:

Lammastide said:

So he was just drunk? Is that what it is? If so, amazing, the power of alcohol.

Part of me always wonders when people in such lofty positions do something that could instantly implode everything they have whether they do it on some level to sabotage themselves. I wonder, for example, if there's not some part of Galiano that's relieved to be let go from Dior.

Drunk and an anti-Semite.

^ not a good combination

Xibalba said:

Shouldn't the title of this thread have been: 'Galliano shown the Dior'?

[Edited 3/1/11 10:00am]

I've been so sad over his display and what has, understandibly come as a result.

I've loved his work and artistry for so long.

[Edited 3/1/11 10:34am]

Genesia said:

Xibalba said:

Shouldn't the title of this thread have been: 'Galliano shown the Dior'?

[Edited 3/1/11 10:00am]

somehow the words "fashion" and "Nazi" just seem to go together

he's just a VILE little queen with an infalted sense of self worth.

not to mention his designs stink.

I honestly didn't think he'd get fired. I thought he would be suspended. Why fire him now when he's made insensitive remarks in the past?

HotGritz said:

I honestly didn't think he'd get fired. I thought he would be suspended. Why fire him now when he's made insensitive remarks in the past?

Because a pattern has emerged - and Dior can't ignore it.

WOW! That's really fucked up. What is up with folks who "have it all" and ruin it by the actions they demonstrate?! Just sad. Dior will be OK. Galliano won't.

Xibalba said:

he's just a VILE little queen with an infalted sense of self worth.

not to mention his designs stink.

Well, now he'll have plenty of time for Goebbel-ing.

Genesia said:

Lammastide said:

So he was just drunk? Is that what it is? If so, amazing, the power of alcohol.

Part of me always wonders when people in such lofty positions do something that could instantly implode everything they have whether they do it on some level to sabotage themselves. I wonder, for example, if there's not some part of Galiano that's relieved to be let go from Dior.

Drunk and an anti-Semite.

...although I will say that I'm actually surprised he would say anything pro-German: usually when Europeans get drunk they start trashing each other to bits. i would have expected to to say Kraut Bastards before he went there on the anti-semite tip. It 's all totally confusing for me; as late as 1990 would see French Germans and Italians spit on each other before they would praise the vices or virtues of one another ....the fuck is wrong with this idiot? Did I miss something because he's Spanish descent (a country and culture in which racism has been on the rise at an alarming rate in Europe for the last decade=)...I was just walking past the Dior ads today featuring Natalie Portman; how on earth did he get to the point of being a Jew hater yet is he is the artistic voice of a global brand featuring an Israeli Jew as its' cosmetics muse???

Yeesh. All too much for me.

Genesia said:

Xibalba said:

he's just a VILE little queen with an infalted sense of self worth.

not to mention his designs stink.

Well, now he'll have plenty of time for Goebbel-ing.

Ottensen said:

Genesia said:

Drunk and an anti-Semite.

...although I will say that I'm actually surprised he would say anything pro-German: usually when Europeans get drunk they start trashing each other to bits. i would have expected to to say Kraut Bastards before he went there on the anti-semite tip. It 's all totally confusing for me; as late as 1990 would see French Germans and Italians spit on each other before they would praise the vices or virtues of one another ....the fuck is wrong with this idiot? Did I miss something because he's Spanish descent (a country and culture in which racism has been on the rise at an alarming rate in Europe for the last decade=)...I was just walking past the Dior ads today featuring Natalie Portman; how on earth did he get to the point of being a Jew hater yet is he is the artistic voice of a global brand featuring an Israeli Jew as its' cosmetics muse???

Yeesh. All too much for me.

Some people are a walking contradiction. Especially gay people who use anti-semitic slurs...I mean, the Nazis killed ( and the neo-Nazis still kill ) gay people, that´s why I would take what he said with a grain of salt. The fact that what he said when he was drunk was clearly anti-semitic does not necessarily make him an anti-semite per se, unlike Mel Gibson, whose father is a notorious anti-semite (and considering the things that Mel said to those police officers).

By the way, a famous German neo-Nazis in the 1980s was also gay ( and later died of AIDS)even though his comrades were VERY homophobic. But being anti-semitic AND gay is a very unusual combination.

KoolEaze said:

Ottensen said:

...although I will say that I'm actually surprised he would say anything pro-German: usually when Europeans get drunk they start trashing each other to bits. i would have expected to to say Kraut Bastards before he went there on the anti-semite tip. It 's all totally confusing for me; as late as 1990 would see French Germans and Italians spit on each other before they would praise the vices or virtues of one another ....the fuck is wrong with this idiot? Did I miss something because he's Spanish descent (a country and culture in which racism has been on the rise at an alarming rate in Europe for the last decade=)...I was just walking past the Dior ads today featuring Natalie Portman; how on earth did he get to the point of being a Jew hater yet is he is the artistic voice of a global brand featuring an Israeli Jew as its' cosmetics muse???

Yeesh. All too much for me.

Some people are a walking contradiction. Especially gay people who use anti-semitic slurs...I mean, the Nazis killed ( and the neo-Nazis still kill ) gay people, that´s why I would take what he said with a grain of salt. The fact that what he said when he was drunk was clearly anti-semitic does not necessarily make him an anti-semite per se, unlike Mel Gibson, whose father is a notorious anti-semite (and considering the things that Mel said to those police officers).

By the way, a famous German neo-Nazis in the 1980s was also gay ( and later died of AIDS)even though his comrades were VERY homophobic. But being anti-semitic AND gay is a very unusual combination.

I think it's more common than we think. Racism, sexism, agism, xenophobia, homophobia and any and all belief systems based on discrimination are not necessarily interwined nor independent of each other. It all depends on the individual and what social group they most cling to or identify with.

In Galiano's case, he perhaps thinks his ethnicity and nationality trump his sexuality. I've met plenty racists and sexist gays in my life so the concept of being anti-semitic and gay is not an unusual combination IMO and plenty Nazi's during the Hitler era were gay themselves. Lots of people are country first before anything else others are culture first and so on. It's just sad that Galiano who has worked with and been supported by such a diverse group of people would hold such opinions and views but then again, he is part of an an industry that is not so diverse in it's standards of beauty e.g. focus on white european models for print and runway.

You mention Mel Gibson, perhaps like Mel, John too has grown up with parent(s) who held racist views and the public just never knew about it. It's not like you wake up at the age of 40 or 50 and decide you will be a bigot. Usually bigotry is something learned during one's youth. I'd be interested in hearing his comments on the matter and whether or not he's remorseful of if even he feels his termination was unwarranted or an extreme reaction to his behavior. Perhaps he will enter rehab.

damn, just watched the video and all I can say is he was fuckin' HAMMERED!!

the thing about alcohol...is that it decreases one's inhibitions, and one winds up saying things that one is thinking, but usually has a filter not to say it aloud.

racism is suuuuuuch a waste of time and energy.

KoolEaze said:

Ottensen said:

...although I will say that I'm actually surprised he would say anything pro-German: usually when Europeans get drunk they start trashing each other to bits. i would have expected to to say Kraut Bastards before he went there on the anti-semite tip. It 's all totally confusing for me; as late as 1990 would see French Germans and Italians spit on each other before they would praise the vices or virtues of one another ....the fuck is wrong with this idiot? Did I miss something because he's Spanish descent (a country and culture in which racism has been on the rise at an alarming rate in Europe for the last decade=)...I was just walking past the Dior ads today featuring Natalie Portman; how on earth did he get to the point of being a Jew hater yet is he is the artistic voice of a global brand featuring an Israeli Jew as its' cosmetics muse???

Yeesh. All too much for me.

Some people are a walking contradiction. Especially gay people who use anti-semitic slurs...I mean, the Nazis killed ( and the neo-Nazis still kill ) gay people, that´s why I would take what he said with a grain of salt. The fact that what he said when he was drunk was clearly anti-semitic does not necessarily make him an anti-semite per se, unlike Mel Gibson, whose father is a notorious anti-semite (and considering the things that Mel said to those police officers).

By the way, a famous German neo-Nazis in the 1980s was also gay ( and later died of AIDS)even though his comrades were VERY homophobic. But being anti-semitic AND gay is a very unusual combination.

Hate is hate and ignorance is ignorance. Neither follow any rules or fits into any given molds.

Douchebags come in every color, religion and sexual orientation.

This was so shocking to me.

I can't believe Galliano was like that.