After nine years at the creative helm of Dior's women's line, Maria Grazia Chiuri is leaving the fashion house. The announcement comes 24 hours after the presentation of the Cruise 2026 collection at Villa Albani Torlonia, which ideally brought the designer back to Rome. Chiuri bids farewell as a winner, after quadrupling the brand's sales and marking a golden period for the maison, as also highlighted by Bernard Arnault last February. Dior, through an official statement, expressed "profound gratitude" to her, recalling how Chiuri - the first woman to hold the position - brought a feminist vision and exceptional creativity "infused with the spirit of Monsieur Dior". Delphine Arnault called her work "a new chapter in the history of the maison". Meanwhile, Jonathan Anderson-already appointed for the men's line-should soon be announced as creative director for the women's line as well. Chiuri is now preparing for a very personal entrepreneurial adventure: the relaunch of the Teatro della Cometa, a historic jewel on the slopes of the Capitoline Hill, founded in 1958 by Mimì Pecci Blunt, a central figure in the cultural life of Italy's 20th century. Chiuri's last fashion show was also dedicated to her. Chiuri’s farewell is reminiscent of the recent one of Dries Van Noten, who left fashion to found an art center in Venice. A sign of a time when, for some, art draws more than fashion.