Former Dior designer John Galliano will go on trial on June 22 on charges that he made racist insults – accusations which rocked the fashion world and cost him his coveted job.

Mr Galliano’s downfall began in February when he was detained in a drunken state and questioned about accusations that he hurled anti-Semitic insults at a couple in a Parisian café. The couple filed a legal complaint, and another woman then accused him of similar insults.

Prosecutors have said Mr Galliano could face up to six months in prison and €22,500 in fines, if convicted of “public insults based on origin, religious affiliation, race or ethnicity”. Soon after the initial allegations, a video circulated online in which the designer praised Adolf Hitler.

On the eve of Paris Fashion Week, Dior fired Galliano after 14 years with the company and denounced his comments.

Mr Galliano issued a statement at the time saying: “Anti-Semitism and racism have no part in our society. I unreservedly apologise for my behaviour in causing any offence.”

Mr Galliano also said he was “seeking help” for his personal failures, without elaborating.

After joining Dior in 1996, Mr Galliano made an indelible mark on the design house, with theatrical, often outrageous, catwalk shows which were among the most-anticipated displays in the Paris fashion calendar.