Valentino has named former Gucci designer Alessandro Michele its creative director, the Roman couture house said Thursday.
The designer’s first show for the brand will take place during Paris Fashion Week in September.
The announcement answers one of the biggest questions on the lips of fashion insiders for more than a year: where would Michele, one of the industry’s biggest names, end up after leaving his post at Gucci?
In the end, Michele won’t be headed to fashion’s biggest group LVMH, as many had speculated, but rather to Mayhoola for Investments, the fashion group backed by the Qatari royal family that also owns Balmain and Pal Zileri.
Last week, designer Pierpaolo Piccioli exited Valentino after 25 years at the house, including 8 years its as sole creative director. The brand will not show menswear or haute couture in June.
Michele spent years working behind-the-scenes in Gucci’s design studio before being selected for the top job in 2015. Alongside then CEO Marco Bizzarri, the designer ushered in an era of explosive growth during which sales roughly tripled before stagnating during the pandemic.
Michele became known for his decadent, more-is-more aesthetic: everything from hoodies to handbags was layered with brand signifiers, as well as flowers, totem animals like snakes and cicadas or astrological motifs. On the runway and red carpets, the vibe was often Italy meets Palm Springs: evoking the lives of Old Hollywood starlets with campy ruffles as well as retro eyeglass chains and tracksuits.
Stay tuned to BoF for updates on this developing story.
