John Galliano was released from an Arizona rehab facility yesterday, where the former Christian Dior designer has spent the past few weeks working on his recovery from alcohol and drug addiction. Arriving at LAX airport with a slew of photographers waiting was clearly a suprise to the famed designer.
Galliano was asked by one reporter upon entering the terminal, "Would you have done anything differently if you were on the Christian Dior board?" Giving no response, the 50-year-old was called a f****** racist by an onlooker that may have been a photographer before leaving the airport.
Mr. Galliano was fired from his post as Creative Director at Christian Dior at the end of February due to an alleged anti-Semitic rant in a Paris bar. Anti-Semitic comments are illegal in France, as opposed to the free speech we enjoy in America. His stay at The Meadows facility in Arizona may be over, but the fate of the John Galliano label is still in the hands of Louis Vuitton-Moet-Hennessy, which is the holding company of both Christian Dior and John Galliano's namesake label. In addition, Sidney Toledano, CEO of Christian Dior recently stated their label will not announce a new head designer until this Fall.
Christian Dior held their last fashion show with clothing designed by John Galliano in early March during Paris Fashion Week. The show was silently boycotted by several celebrities, most notably the spokesmodel for Dior Parfums, Natalie Portman. The pregnant Oscar winner, who is Jewish, denounced Galliano prior to her Academy Award win for Black Swan. Portman was scheduled to wear a gown from Christian Dior and chose Rodarte as her choice instead. In her statement to the press the Israeli-born and Long Island-bred actress said, "I am deeply shocked and disgusted by the video of John Galliano's comments that surfaced today. In light of this video, and as an individual who is proud to be Jewish, I will not be associated with Mr. Galliano in any way. I hope at the very least, these terrible comments remind us to reflect and act upon combating these still-existing prejudices that are the opposite of all that is beautiful."
It is unknown how long the designer, who was born in Gilbraltar, a British territory off the coast of Spain, plans to stay in Los Angeles, but Galliano faces up to six months in a French prison due to his videotaped tirade at La Perle bar. He is due to stand trial in Paris in June on charges of 'public insults based on the origin, religious affiliation, race or ethnicity' against three people.
Mr. Galliano has denied any wrong-doing and released a statment in March saying, "Anti-Semitism and racism have no part in our society. I unreservedly apologize for my behavior in causing any offense." His lawyer, also Jewish, Stephane Zerbib, spoke out in his defense last month, saying, "It could happen to any one of us."
In the video at LAX, Galliano ignored all questions from reporters, as he walked to his car which was waiting for him outside of the airport terminal.
French designer Jean Paul Gaultier, listed as a potential successor to Galliano at Christian Dior, recently spoke in defense of Galliano. "It's sad, because he was an enormous talent," Gaultier told the AFP. "Everything he has done has not revealed someone who is racist...quite to the contrary."
Comments