This morning, Renzo Rosso – president of OTB, the company that owns Maison Margiela – announced that John Galliano will take creative guidance over their menswear collection in mid-2016.

Since his appointment as artistic director last October, Galliano has debuted four collections – womenswear and couture. Although the designer previously sent a mix of male and female models down the runway for both his Couture FW15 and womenswear SS16 shows, his involvement in the house’s menswear collections has so far remained unclear.

Rosso also reported that sales have been up 30 percent since Galliano’s hiring.“It’s another company now. You can feel the energy inside, it’s unbelievable,” says Rosso. “It was really necessary to hire someone for the next step because Martin was someone who changed the rules in the fashion industry.”

What was considered a risky appointment, due to the designer’s public persona contrasting with the house’s anonymous sensibilities, has proved an overwhelming success. As a result, the house plans to grow its retail presence with new stores, as well as increase Galliano’s control over the label’s accessories and men’s collections.

Translating his concept into menswear will be an important step towards Galliano forming an holistic vision for this new era in the House’s iconic history.