The designer himself shared a lengthy and heartfelt message to Instagram, where he spoke about how transformative his time at the house has been for him personally.

“Today is the day I say Goodbye to Maison Margiela,” he wrote. “My heart overflows with joyous gratitude, and my soul smiles. For I am 14 years old today — 14 years sober… The greatest, most precious gift [Rosso] gave me was the opportunity to once again find my creative voice when I had become voiceless. My wings mended, and I better understood the all-consuming act of creativity.”

Galliano joined the house in 2014, having previously headed up his own fashion label while working as creative director of Givenchy and later Dior, where he was let go after a very public drunken anti-Semitic rant. When he joined Margiela, he was four years sober and attempting to build back up his reputation.

This latest announcement comes at a time of a lot of change in the fashion industry. Chanel is still without a creative director since Virginie Viard left the company in June, and there are plenty of rumours about who might be taking the top spot and the fashion designer musical chairs that could follow.

Galliano did not give any clues as to where he may be headed next, but in his statement, he suggested that it had already been decided: “The rumours… Everyone wants to know, and everyone wants to dream. When the time is right, all will be revealed. For now, I take this time to express my immense gratitude.”