Dior names Chiuri from Valentino as artistic director

PARIS (Reuters) - French fashion brand Christian Dior has tapped Maria Grazia Chiuri from Valentino as its next creative head, the first woman to hold the position in its 70 year history, the company said on Friday.

Chiuri will present her first ready-to-wear collection for Dior on Sept. 30 and will also be in charge of haute couture and accessory collections.

Reuters reported June 23 that Dior was poised to announce Chiuri's appointment after its couture show in early July.

As artistic director of the storied Paris fashion house, Chiuri will follow in the footsteps of designers like Yves Saint Laurent, Gianfranco Ferre and John Galliano.

Chiuri has long worked in tandem with her Valentino design partner Pierpaolo Piccioli and it remains to be seen how she will function on her own.

The duo turned the Italian label into one of the luxury industry's fastest growing and most profitable brands, which did no harm to Chiuri's chances getting the Dior job as it struggles to revive stalled sales growth.

Dior, parent company of the luxury industry's biggest group LVMH (LVMH.PA), had been searching for an artistic director since Belgian designer Raf Simons unexpectedly left in October.

(Reporting by Leigh Thomas; Editing by Richard Lough)