John Galliano John Galliano John Charles Galliano (born November 28, 1960) is a Gibraltar-born British fashion designer who was the head designer of French fashion companies Givenchy (July 1995 to October 1996), Christian Dior (October 1996 to March 2011), and his own label John Galliano (1988 to 2011). At present, Galliano is the creative director of Paris-based fashion house Maison Margiela. Galliano has been named British Designer of the Year four times. In a 2004 poll for the BBC, he was named the fifth most influential person in British culture. He was born in Gibraltar to a Gibraltarian father, Juan Galliano, and
Jonathan Anderson (fashion designer) the Balearic island of Ibiza, where his parents owned a house. He has since stated in interviews that the contrasting environments played a big role in shaping his sensibilities as a designer. At the age of 18 he moved to the United States in an attempt to become an actor. He was based in Washington D.C. at The Juilliard School, but developed an interest in costume design rather than acting. He moved to Dublin shortly after, securing his first fashion-based job at the Dublin department store, Brown Thomas. He enrolled at London College of Fashion in 2005 and subsequently moved