Alessandro Michele is moving on to greener pastures, with the recent announcement the former Gucci Creative Director would join Valentino from April 2024.
Michele left Gucci in November 2022, after almost eight years of leading the Italian luxury label.
“There are times when paths part ways because of the different perspectives each one of us may have,” the creative director posted to Instagram upon sharing the news.
“Today an extraordinary journey ends for me, lasting more than twenty years, within a company to which I have tirelessly dedicated all my love and creative passion. During this long period Gucci has been my home, my adopted family. To this extended family, to all the individuals, who have looked after and supported it, I send my most sincere thanks, my biggest and most heartfelt embrace.
“Together with them I have wished, dreamed, imagined. Without them, none of what I have built would have been possible. To them goes my most sincerest wish: may you continue to cultivate your dreams, the subtle and intangible matter that makes life worth living. May you continue to nourish yourselves with poetic and inclusive imagery, remaining faithful to your values. May you always live by your passions, propelled by the wind of freedom.”
His time at the helm of Gucci brought the brand to new heights, earning it unprecedented mainstream appeal and new celebrity fans.
Starting from his tenure in 2015, Michele was behind some of the brand’s most memorable collectibles, including its Flora pattern, its bee symbol and the resurgence of its classic items, from the GG belt, to the horsebit loafers, and the red-and-green striped paraphernalia.
However, Michele launched a new gender-bending fashion icon via his collaborations with Harry Styles, and frequently collaborating with Dakota Johnson, Jared Leto and Jessica Chastain in headline-making looks.
As Michele heads to Valentino, we must wonder whether his A-list devotees will follow, or if the designer will retain the brand’s recent celebrity roster, like Florence Pugh.
Gucci are yet to make an official statement, but read on for some of Michele’s biggest celebrity moments and shows during his tenure at the beloved luxury label.
The Best Gucci Looks & Moments From 2015-2022: The Alessendro Michele Era
Jessica Chastain’s Oscars Gown
Jessica Chastain wearing custom Gucci to the 2022 Academy Awards.
Dakota Johnson: Gucci Muse
Dakota Johnson rocks the popular Gucci Horsebit loafers and the Dionysus bag in 2022.
Billie Eilish’s Black & Green Grammys Suit
Billie Eilish wearing custom Gucci to the 2020 Grammy Awards.
Macauley Culkin Walks The Gucci Love Parade
Macaulay Culkin modeling in Gucci’s ‘Love Parade’ show.
Jodie Turner Smith Walks Gucci Love Parade
Jodie Turner Smith walks in the Gucci Love Parade, Novemeber 2021.
Jared Leto Carries His Own Head
Jared Leto (and Jared Leto) wearing Gucci at the 2019 ‘Camp: Notes On Fashion’ Met Gala.
Dakota Johnson In Crystal-Encrusted Gucci
Dakota Johnson wearing Gucci at the 2021 Venice Film Festival.
Lady Gaga At The ‘House Of Gucci’ Premiere
Lady Gaga wearing Gucci ‘Love Parade’ look 67 to the House Of Gucci London Premiere.
Alessandro Michele and Jared Leto at The Met Gala
Alessandro Michele and Jared Leto wearing Gucci to the 2022 Met Gala ‘In America: An Anthology Of Fashion’. This twinning look was hinting at what would be Alessandro’s final womenswear collection, ‘Twinsburg’, and we didn’t even know it.
Harry Styles
Harry Styles in Gucci at the 2021 Grammys in LA.
Harry Styles and His Feather Boa
Harry Styles also at the 2021 Grammys.
Alessandro and Harry Styles at the Met Gala
Alessandro Michele and Harry Styles, both in custom Gucci, at the 2019 Met Gala.
Harry Styles’ On-Stage Looks
Harry Styles performs in Gucci at Coachella in 2022.
Rihanna and A$AP Rocky
A$AP Rocky and Rihanna at Gucci’s Fall/Winter 2022/23 show in Milan.
Dakota Johnson at the Met Gala, 2017
Alessandro Michele and Dakota Johnson at the 2017 ‘Rei Kawakubo/Comme des Garcons: Art Of The In-Between’ Met Gala.
Phoebe Bridgers Walks For Gucci
Phoebe Bridgers walks in Gucci’s Love Parade show in November 2021.
Alessandro, Lana Del Rey and Jared Leto at the Met Gala, 2018
Alessandro Michele, Lana Del Rey and Jared Leto at the 2018 ‘Heavenly Bodies’ Met Gala.
Kendall Jenner in the Gucci Red-and-Green Stripe Sweatshirt
Worn by Kendall Jenner and Harry Styles, this casual look was a moment. The red and green Gucci stripe was a staple of the era’s fashion, featuring on loafers, slides, sneakers, tees and, of course, bags.
Rosie Huntington-Whiteley and the Gucci Belt Bag Trend
Gucci spelled the renaissance of the bum bag — or belt bag, if you’re fancy. It featured prominently in Alessandro’s early runways and became a hit on those in the street style sphere from 2016 onwards.
