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Former Gucci star designer Alessandro Michele has been appointed the creative director of Italian couture house Valentino, taking the reins months after Gucci owner Kering bought a stake in the label from its Qatari owners.
The appointment comes a week after Valentino’s long-serving creative director Pierpaolo Piccioli announced he would leave the label after more than 25 years. Michele left Gucci, Kering’s biggest label, at the end of 2022 as performance waned following several years of strong growth, leading to widespread speculation about where he would go next.
“It’s an incredible honour for me to be welcomed at Maison Valentino,” Michele said in a statement. “I feel the immense joy and the huge responsibility to join a Maison de Couture that has the word ‘beauty’ carved on [its] collective story.”
Founded in 1960 in Rome, Valentino operates 211 stores worldwide and generated revenues of €1.4bn and earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation of €350mn in 2022.
In July 2023 Kering purchased a 30 per cent stake in the Italian house from Qatari investment fund Mayhoola, as part of a “strategic” deal that would give the French luxury group the option to take full control of the Italian house by 2028.
Michele would be based in Rome, Valentino said, and will debut his first collection for the label at Paris Fashion Week in September. The brand will not show menswear or haute couture in June.
“I am very happy and excited to return to work with Alessandro Michele after years of working together,” said Valentino chief executive Jacopo Venturini, who previously worked with Michele at Gucci where he was vice-president of merchandising and global markets.
Michele was hired by Paris-based Kering to design Gucci in 2015, rising to become a star in the fashion world. His maximalist, bohemian vision doubled sales at the brand to more than €10bn annually in four years.
His quirky, gender-fluid designs were worn by celebrities including British singer Harry Styles and American actor Jared Leto. He also created hit accessories including the Dionysus and Jackie 1961 bags and Princetown mules. However, that fashion-forward approach lost traction when the pandemic hit as consumers prioritised more timeless luxury products. Gucci’s woes have since become a drag on Kering’s performance.
Michele has been a free agent since his departure from Gucci in November 2022. Mayhoola had been reported to have held conversations with Michele to become creative director of its other label Walter Albini, according to WWD.
“I am very happy that Alessandro has been appointed at the creative helm of Valentino and I am certain that with his creativity, culture and versatile talent, he will be able to interpret masterfully the unique heritage of this magnificent house and make it flourish,” said Kering’s chair and CEO François-Henri Pinault in a statement.
“I can’t wait to see his passion, imagination and dedication at play in this new chapter for Valentino.”