Overwork to blame for Galliano's outburst?

John Galliano's alleged anti-Semitic outburst could have been caused by his demanding workload.

The designer was sacked from his role as creative director of Christian Dior following claims he verbally abused a couple in Paris last month but his friend and fellow designer Azzedine Alaia blames the pressures of the fashion industry and said John is "irreplaceable".

He told WWD: "It's sad. He's a friend. It's too much: too many collections; too much pressure. There are some people who are irreplaceable."

Meanwhile, Mr. Alaia has revealed he prefers to work to his own timeframes and loves travelling to his production facility in Italy to check the quality of the work for himself.

His approach appears to be working as a representative for one of his retail partners - Barneys in New York - revealed sales are increasing all the time.

Daniella Vitale, chief merchant and executive vice president for Barneys New York, said, "The business has always been a stalwart of Barneys but it has seen tremendous growth, in all categories. There is no one like Mr. Alaia and our client is impressed by his dedication, creativity and inspiration."