Nearly four years after John Galliano came under fire for his anti-Semitic rant in a Parisian cafe, the British designer has slowly but surely been easing his way back to health, and more publicly, back into fashion. He’s held a handful of jobs, from designing theater costumes to assisting with Oscar de la Renta's fall 2013 collection. Most recently, he landed the creative director position at Maison Martin Margiela, signifying an official, permanent, return to the industry.
But, as last night’s British Fashion Awards proved, Galliano isn’t only welcome back into professional circles — major fashion figures are ready to accept him into their personal ones, as well. At the annual London event, which celebrates notable designers, editors, and models, Galliano presented the Outstanding Achievement Award to Anna Wintour with an emotional speech. WWD reports that he remembered how the Vogue editor-in-chief “reached out to me when I had become an outcast,” and explained that “no words can express my gratitude to her.”
The fact that Galliano not only presented the award to Wintour, but did so before a room full of his peers, all but proves he has arrived again. Furthermore, Wintour also made an obvious show of support by wearing a design by Galliano for Maison Martin Margiela, one of his first creations since taking the helm. Judging from this carefully orchestrated olive branch exchange — one that was accepted among the U.K. crowd — we're betting Galliano and his latest work pop up in the pages of Vogue before you know it. Watch below for a snippet of his introduction speech and Wintour's touching acceptance. (WWD)