As creative director of the womenswear studio at Louis Vuitton for the past five years, Julie de Libran is best placed to tell us how the brand may fare under the overall creative direction of Nicolas Ghesquiere, who officially took over last week.
"I only met him for the first time on Tuesday," she told us today at the launch of the brand's new Townhouse in Selfridges - which she describes as "like Disneyland" (and it's hard to disagree after a trip in the world's first rotating glass elevator, which takes centre stage in the store). "I know that he's a very nice man and I've always loved his work. He is a huge talent and so creative, so I'm really excited to see what he wants to do here."
Hearing her describe her own aesthetic as one that inspires her to "dress women who are passionate about clothes, the fabrics, the quality, the attention to detail to make them feel comfortable in their clothes because clothes are such an enjoyable part of life. I enjoy getting dressed every morning," it's hard to imagine that De Libran could be anything but a fantastic wing woman to a designer leading one of the world's biggest luxury brands.
Alongside Ghesquière's predecessor Marc Jacobs, she worked on the entire womenswear offering, including accessories, ad campaigns and shows - and she'll have just as close a working relationship with her new boss. "Vuitton is an amazing place to work - it has such savoir faire and such huge potential and it's wonderful for me to be able to bring a feminine side to the collection," she says.
Having worked at Prada for 10 years, before transferring to Vuitton so that she could base herself in Paris with her family, 41-year-old De Libran is loving what she's doing - but hasn't ruled out the possibility of her own label in the future. "I have always loved working in a team, but when the time comes, I'd love to go it alone."
