Maison Margiela’s creative director John Galliano, the iconoclastic couturier who previously headed artistry at Givenchy and Christian Dior, is leaving his post at the luxury French fashion house after a decade-long run.

The British designer, 64, announced his goodbye Wednesday via Instagram after employees at Maison Margiela were informed about his exit ahead of the company Christmas party, Women’s Wear Daily reported. Galliano’s departure also marks the end of his groundbreaking partnership with Diesel founder turned Italian fashion mogul Renzo Rosso, whose OTB Group is the parent company to Maison Margiela, Marni and Viktor & Rolf.

In a lengthy statement, the celebrated and controversial artist said he was grateful for “this life-saving creative moment and the safe space we have built together” and the “second chance” that Rosso and Martin Margiela gave him.

“My heart overflows with joyous gratitude, and my soul smiles,” he wrote. “For I am 14 years old today — 14 years sober. Living a life better than I ever dreamt possible.”

Although Galliano did not say what he plans to do next, the flamboyant and theatrical designer said he would share details in due time. Maison Margiela has not yet disclosed who will succeed Galliano, but the company has seen exponential growth in its luxury business since his appointment in 2014. Sales increased by 24% in 2022 and 23% in 2023, Vogue reported.

“The rumors… Everyone wants to know, and everyone wants to dream,” he wrote. “When the time is right, all will be revealed. For now. I take this time to express my immense gratitude. I continue to atone, and I will never stop dreaming. I, too, need to dream.”

Galliano dressed countless celebrities during his tenure, including Kim Kardashian, Zendaya and Gwendoline Christie at the 2024 Met Gala and Miley Cyrus at the Grammy Awards this year, as well as Ariana Grande, Jennifer Lawrence, Rihanna and Katy Perry for other red-carpet events.

In his statement, the only post on his Instagram grid, Galliano reflected on his time at Maison Margiela — formerly Maison Martin Margiela — and how he was given the keys to the kingdom by its ultra-private namesake, who told him “take what you will from the DNA of the House, protect yourself, and make it your own.”

Galliano’s appointment came after a pivotal time in his life and career: The designer, who has been candid about his addictions to drugs and alcohol, had been fired by by Dior and ousted by his own design label after delivering antisemitic and racist rants in Paris in 2010 and 2011, which ultimately played out in French court.

Sometimes referring to his past self in the third person in his two-page statement, Galliano that he “mourned the loss of JG and my previous identity” and that he’s much happier now and strives daily “to be a better version of this person.” He also expressed his gratitude to Rosso for inviting him to assume the position of artistic director at Margiela after that tumultuous period in his life. (Galliano’s body of work was the subject of the 2024 documentary “High & Low.”)

“The greatest, most precious gift he gave me was the opportunity to once again find my creative voice when I had become voiceless. My wings mended, and I better understood the all-consuming act of creativity.” In front of Rosso and Margiela, Galliano said he had an epiphany and was “ready.”

“I would surround myself with like-minded people, strong people who shared the same work ethic. I informed Renzo I would take him up on his kind offer, but my recovery would have to come first — and it did,” he wrote. “Ten years later, I am forever grateful for this safe space to create and build a new family that supports me with courage and dignity. Although little had changed in the industry then, my perspective on it has radically shifted. I begin to see changes all around me: compassion and empathy.”

“I’ll readily admit I’m demanding and difficult to run with when challenged, but look at what we have built,” he wrote. “This is when the family — the fashion industry — is at its best when we collectively support each other, not judge. When we accept, forgive, and help one another see the error of our ways. Being brave enough to unlearn, to re-educate ourselves from the past — for it is societally learnt — to share, empathize, and practice compassion.”

Galliano eased back into the spotlight and debuted his first runway collection for Maison Margiela in January 2015, sending a small couture collection down a London runway in front of a curated audience of 100 people at the end of London’s Men’s Fashion Week. This past January, he was widely applauded for his viral spring 2024 Maison Margiela Artisanal show — the one that showcased Pat McGrath’s viral, glass-like makeup — which WWD described as putting “full-throttle creativity back on the industry agenda” and propelling Galliano “to the very top of the fashion heap.”

“Margiela’s business steadily climbed in recent years as Galliano infused its collections with campy, theatrical innovations, deconstructed designs and a gender-fluid sensibility as well as pushing the craftsmanship and creative impact of its ‘Artisanal’ line to new heights,” Business of Fashion reported. “Sales rose 22% in 2023 even as the wider luxury market slowed.”

The reformed designer on Wednesday touted “slow and ethical fashion” and its influence, as well as the design house’s sociopolitical messaging that he said centers trans and queer rights, gender equality in the workplace, anti-racism and mental health advocacy.

“I celebrate the genderless collections we now produce, reinforced by how they are brought and supported. My co-ed collections, whether Artisinal or [Ready-to-Wear], represent diversity and individuality,” he wrote in his statement. “I celebrate the magical relationships with my muses, who challenge me to create safe spaces where we can dream and make believe. You inspire everything I do. You are my life. All my muses have battled society’s norms and restrictions on gender and body identity. I rejoice in self-expression and freedom. “

He also indicated a desire to “celebrate the joy” he found in the ways he communicated creatively, embracing cultures that celebrate fashion through theater, cinema and digital media.

In a statement to the Associated Press, Rosso lauded Galliano for making Maison Margiela “the most cutting-edge couture house in the world.” He added that the last decade “of incredibly intense work, amazing shows and installations, extraordinary beautiful product, have laid the foundations for the future.”

There’s one in every family — that uncle or sister-in-law who only reads nonfiction. As you seek out the perfect read for your loved ones this year, we can help you find beautifully told true stories. There are more than 50 biographies and memoirs featured in Books We Love, NPR’s annual year-end reading guide. Check them all out here, or browse a sampling, below.

Consent: A Memoir by Jill Ciment
After the death of her husband of nearly 50 years, Jill Ciment reconsiders their relationship, which began when she was 17 and he was her much older, married drawing instructor. She first wrote about their early years together in Half a Life, when she was in her 40s and he was in his 70s. In Consent, she scrutinizes and amplifies that account in light of the #MeToo movement and changing social attitudes. Did she have the agency to consent? Was he a letch? Was she a vixen? How could she have known as a teenager that he was the love of her life? — Heller McAlpin, book critic

A Fatal Inheritance: How a Family Misfortune Revealed a Deadly Medical Mystery by Lawrence Ingrassia
In 1968, when journalist Lawrence Ingrassia was 15, his mother died of breast cancer at age 42. “It was tragic, but what was there to say?” he writes. Ingrassia couldn’t know then that in the decades to come, his three siblings would each die from a different kind of cancer and that a nephew would too. In A Fatal Inheritance, Ingrassia movingly intertwines his family’s oncological experiences with the winding story of how researchers worked to uncover the roles that heritable genetic mutations play in cancer risk. — Kristin Martin, book critic

Gather Me: A Memoir in Praise of the Books That Saved Me by Glory Edim
Tenderly written, Glory Edim’s Gather Me is a beautiful memoir that serves as a powerful testament to resilience. It pays tribute to the art of community building from someone whose career and identity are deeply rooted in literature. Edim, founder of Well-Read Black Girl, thoughtfully navigates her emotionally complex life, highlighting the books and authors that have shaped her journey. The chapter about Nikki Giovanni’s work – Edim’s spiritual exploration through it and the solace it brought her – is particularly poignant. Overall, it is an emotional narrative about family bonds and a meaningful gift to her community. — Keishel Williams, book critic

Knife: Meditations After an Attempted Murder by Salman Rushdie
For much of his adult life, Salman Rushdie has lived beneath a shadow – he’s as famous for his novels as he is for being the target of a fatwa. But in 2022, that threat went from theoretical to very real when Rushdie was stabbed repeatedly at a literary conference. That attack resulted in multiple long-term health issues, including blindness in his right eye. You might expect Rushdie’s memoir detailing the attack and its aftermath to be somewhat grim. And it is. But it’s also in turn warm, vulnerable, acerbic and, surprisingly, very funny. — Leah Donnella, senior editor, Code Switch

Life After Power: Seven Presidents and Their Search for Purpose Beyond the White House by Jared Cohen
The American presidency is viewed as the most powerful position in the world. What happens when the job ends? History is often surprising. Not everyone found the role to be the most fulfilling one they ever had. Jared Cohen looks at some fascinating case studies that back that up. John Quincy Adams and William Howard Taft found greater joy in other branches of government: Congress and the Supreme Court. George Bush enjoys his private life and art studio. Life after power can be much more rewarding. — Edith Chapin, senior vice president and editor in chief

Little, Brown and Company

The Mango Tree: A Memoir of Fruit, Florida, and Felony by Annabelle Tometich
This family memoir begins with a courtroom scene like no other. After a night in jail, Annabelle Tometich’s mom is charged with firing at a man who, she says, was stealing mangoes from the tree in her front yard. Tometich then hits rewind, taking readers back through her Fort Myers, Fla., childhood – with her Filipino American mom and white dad, a couple whose personality differences do not make them stronger together. The writing is both jewel-like and effortless, and Tometich’s memories – some mundane, some extraordinary – are mesmerizing. — Shannon Rhoades, senior editor, Weekend Edition

Little, Brown and Company

My Beloved Monster: Masha, the Half-Wild Rescue Cat Who Rescued Me by Caleb Carr
This unusual and beautiful “meow-moir” by The Alienist author and military historian Caleb Carr – the last book he wrote before dying of cancer at age 68 this year – explores the author’s lifelong affinity for cats and his particular relationship with one enormous, fluffy Siberian named Masha. Masha and the writer enjoyed 17 years of adventures together, mostly in and around their rugged rural home in upstate New York. The book chronicles their mutual zest for life and their struggles through illness and financial woes. Even though this is a book for cat lovers, it’s really for everyone: It explores, with somber pathos and wry humor, how we form attachments in life and how they keep us going through it all. — Chloe Veltman, correspondent, Culture Desk

Past Tense: Facing Family Secrets and Finding Myself in Therapy by Sacha Mardou
British cartoonist Sacha Mardou began posting her highly readable comics – about her experiences going to therapy when her daughter was young – on social media. Past Tense chronicles this story – the many steps that led Mardou to an earnest bridging of the past, her family’s history, into the present. Somewhere between Allie Brosh’s Hyperbole and a Half and Stephanie Foo’s What My Bones Know, Mardou’s brightly tinted, clear-eyed comics reveal how active self-reflection – combined with art, storytelling and professional supports – can powerfully reshape a person’s sense of self and community. — Tahneer Oksman, writer, professor and cultural critic

Patriot: A Memoir by Alexei Navalny
Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny died in an Arctic Russian penal colony in February. But even in death, he continues his fight against President Vladimir Putin. This posthumous memoir has two sections: The first half is a traditional narrative, beginning with a true crime story when Navalny is poisoned with a nerve agent on a flight from Siberia in 2020. Halfway through, the book pivots to become his prison diary. Through even the darkest episodes, Navalny’s sunniness and humor shine through – whether he’s describing an episode of Rick and Morty that he left unfinished when he collapsed on that flight, or taking joy in the indulgence of bread and butter that he only ate on Sunday mornings behind bars. — Ari Shapiro, host, All Things Considered

In straightforward and affecting prose, Deborah Jackson Taffa writes about being brought up by a Quechan (Yuma) and Laguna Pueblo father and a Catholic Latina mother, both on and off the Yuma reservation. Although her parents were united in their approach to maintaining a family, their attitudes toward the world diverged in other ways, and Taffa received mixed messages about her Indigeneity, her proximity to whiteness and how she was meant to carry herself. As a teenager, she began to experience anger at the injustices her people were subjected to and, at the same time, began to learn that all change is sacred. — Ilana Masadbook, critic and author of All My Mother’s Lovers

This is just a fraction of the 350+ titles we included in Books We Love this year. Click here to check out this year’s titles, or browse nearly 4,000 books from the last 12 years.