John Charles Galliano was born in Gibraltar in 1960 into a family of strict Catholics. In 1966 the family emigrated to England and settled in southeast London. John Galliano attended Wilson’s Grammar School, followed by Central Saint Martin’s College of Art and Design, where he began studying fashion design. He graduated with honours and his first collection, Les Incroyables, which was inspired by the French Revolution, was an instant hit and was bought by the boutique Browns.
Galliano soon founded his own brand, and around 1988 he was advised by investors to move his base to Paris, which he did not do. Finally, narrowly avoiding bankruptcy, he moved to Paris in 1990, having decided to leave his London life.
With the help of Amy Wintour and several other investors, Galliano managed to bounce back. In 1995, he joined Givenchy as a designer and critic, and fifteen months later he moved to Dior. He worked for Dior for 15 years until 2011, when he was accused of racially motivated crime. He was found guilty and sentenced.
He broke into the world of perfumes in 2008, with his first release John Galliano John Galliano. This perfume is often labelled as mystical or “gothic”. Another famous scent is his blueberry-rose Parlez-Moi d’Amour. Christine Nagel, Aurelien Guichard, and Alineor Massenet worked with him on his perfumes.