Valentino entrusts its artistic direction to Alessandro Michele. Thanks to this maximalist spirit, the Roman fashion house hopes to usher in a new creative era following the sudden departure of Pier Paolo Piccioli.
On April 28, Valentino confirmed rumors that had been swirling around the fashion world. Two years after leaving Gucci, Alessandro Michele, the maximalist whose success at the Florentine fashion house was as dazzling as it was furtive, is taking over the creative reins at Valentino.
He is due to take office on April 2.
Alessandro Michele’s first collection will be presented at Paris Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2025.
This announcement comes less than a week after the departure of veteran designer Pier Paolo Piccioli, who spent 25 years at Valentino, including 16 as Creative Director.
A Gucci alumnus
Alessandro Michele, a protégé of Frida Giannini, was the man behind Gucci’s very rich hours. Arriving at Gucci in January 2015 at a time when the brand was running out of steam, the creative has transformed both the Gucci style and its boutique and proposed cinematic, colorful and almost mystical communication campaigns. While his conceptual vision of fashion initially lifted the House’s sales to stratospheric heights, they had become sluggish by the time he left.
The creator gone at the end of November 2022 and replaced by Sabato de Sarno, whose more discreet, minimalist style is in line with his desire to move upmarket, away from the decadent baroque and neo romantical style of Alessandro Michele. The 51-year-old designer, whose silhouette looks like something out of a Quattrocento painting, should feel right at home, as his new studio is also located in the Eternal City.
But above all, the Roman will be able to take his first steps into the House’s world of haute couture, Valentino having been a guest member of the Fédération de la Haute Couture et de la Mode in Paris since 1989.
Finally, he will be in charge of both women’s and men’s ready-to-wear collections.
A new chapter
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Read also > PIERPAOLO PICCIOLI STEPS DOWN AS ARTISTIC DIRECTOR OF VALENTINO
Featured Photo: © Valentino
