Trial date set for Nicolas Ghesquiére - Balenciaga case

The Tribunal de Grande Instance of Paris has chosen July 1 as

the date for hearing the lawsuit fashion house Balenciaga has launched against its former creative director, Nicolas Ghesquiére.

The date was carefully selected to make sure it would not conflict with any fashion shows and events from the two parties, according to WWD. On the day itself, the court will listen to the claims in the civil case, which is scheduled to begin later this year September. Lawyers for the two parties had been submitting written claims up until this point.

French fashion house Balenciaga is suing its former creative director, for 9.2 million dollars or 7 million euros for breach of contract. Balenciaga, which is owned by the luxury group Kering, stated Ghesquière violated a 'separation agreement' upon leaving the company and speaking openly about his previous experiences at the fashion house in an interview with System magazine. These types of agreements are usually enforced in order to protect brands from any negative publicity surrounding high profile departures.

The lawsuit filed by Balenciaga highlights several quotes from the Ghesquiére System interview, such as the former creative director stating he felt as if he was being "sucked dry" and like the fashion house was trying to "steal" his identity.

Ghesquière was tapped as Balenciaga's creative director in 1997, after he began working at the house at the young age 23. He left the French fashion house in 2012 after being at the head of its creative helm for 15 years. Last November he was named successor to Marc Jacobs as Louis Vuitton's creative director of women's wear collections.