Jonathan Anderson has been announced as the first ever creative director for men’s, women’s and couture collections at Dior, bringing to an end speculation about the luxury brand’s future.

The 40-year-old rugby player’s son, from County Derry in Northern Ireland, will be the first designer to hold complete creative control of the fashion house since Christian Dior.

Delphine Arnault, the chair and chief executive of Dior, described Anderson as “the most talented designer of his generation”. He has long been compared with Karl Lagerfeld by fashion insiders.

Anderson said: “It is a great honour to join the house of Dior as creative director of both women’s and men’s collections. I have always been inspired by the rich history of this house, its depth, and empathy.

“I look forward to working alongside its legendary ateliers to craft the next chapter of this incredible story. I would like to express my sincere thanks to Delphine Arnault and Bernard Arnault [the chief executive of LVMH] for their trust and loyalty over the years.”

The significance of this moment is reflected in an unprecedented move for the famous house, skipping the haute couture shows for the first time in its 78-year history in July.

It had already been confirmed in April that Anderson was to become the artistic director of menswear, and he will present his first collection this month. He is due to debut his primary womenswear collection later this year.

In a statement on Instagram, Dior said: “For the first time at Christian Dior couture, since Monsieur Dior, a creative director will work on all the women’s, men’s, and haute couture collections, further strengthening its global creative vision.”

Anderson’s arrival has been the subject of front row gossip for a year. Maria Grazia Chiuri, the outgoing creative director of Dior womenswear, was still officially in her role last week when she took a bow at the end of her show in Rome.

His ascendance reflects the fashion world’s shifting view of him. In a short time, he has gone from a critically acclaimed but leftfield talent to the centre of power in the global fashion industry.

But it was Anderson’s eye-catching success at the formerly sleepy Spanish handbag brand Loewe that prompted the billionaire LVMH boss, Bernard Arnault, to reward him with the top prize.

The decision to entrust a young designer with complete control is a roll of the dice for Dior, which has tended to play safe since being engulfed in scandal by the departure of John Galliano in 2011.

A French court found Galliano guilty of making antisemitic remarks later that year and he was handed €6,000 (£5,060) in suspended fines.

In 2023, Anderson crafted the outfit which Rihanna used to announce her pregnancy during the Super Bowl half-time performance, as well as Ariana Grande’s Met Gala gown in 2024.

He also created the patchwork cardigan worn by Harry Styles that went viral and was inducted into the Victoria and Albert Museum fashion collection this year.

Delphine Arnault said: “I am convinced that he will bring a creative and modern vision to our house, inspired by the fabulous story of Monsieur Dior and the codes he created.”