Introduction
Eric Pfrunder is a fashion image director whose Chanel remit became explicit after Karl Lagerfeld’s death in February 2019. He was appointed artistic director of fashion image while Virginie Viard separately became artistic director of fashion collections.
The split clarified that runway garments, advertising, marketing and the wider visual identity were not controlled by one successor. Pfrunder’s role preserved the house’s image operation through the transition from Lagerfeld to Viard.
Design ethos
Pfrunder’s practice is organised around continuity across campaign, casting, publication and brand presentation. The image system must remain recognisable while adapting to a new collection author.
The work therefore depends on separation as much as synthesis: fashion image responds to garments but retains its own production, collaborators and long-term visual responsibilities.
Disclaimer
Career history
2019
Eric Pfrunder became artistic director of fashion image on 19 February 2019. The appointment placed campaigns, marketing and visual identity under a separate authority from Virginie Viard’s fashion-collections remit.
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