John Galliano replaced by Raf Simons
Raf Simons will be taking over as artistic director at Dior, replacing John Galliano who was fired last year after he made some anti-Semitic remarks. Galliano was fired by Dior following his arrest over an alleged anti-Semitic tirade in a Paris bar. REUTERS

Raf Simons will be taking over as artistic director at Dior, replacing John Galliano who was fired last year after he made some anti-Semitic remarks. His first collection is planned for July, the New York Times reports.

The announcement is expected to be made this week, the Times is reporting. It reportedly took more than a year for the decision to be made.

"The first time I heard about the Dior position I thought, 'This feels right,' " Simon, 44, told the Times.

Last February, Galliano's anti-Semitic rant was caught on a cellphone and he was fired from Dior thereafter. Galliano was later found guilty in connection with bars clashes in France, as people accused him of hate crimes.

Simons is a Belgian designer who began his career in men's wear in 1995. Simons was appointed creative director at Jil Sander in 2005.

"I feel fantastic," Simons said told the Times. "It is one of the ultimate challenges, and a dream to go to a place like Dior, which stands for absolute elegance, incredible femininity and utter luxury."