One of the most notable luxury fashion brands is getting a shake-up.
Alessandro Michele, creative director of Gucci since 2015, is stepping down, the Italian fashion house announced on Wednesday.
While the brand gave no reason for the move, the Rome-born designer said in a statement: “There are times when paths diverge because of the different perspectives each of us may have.”
François-Henri Pinault, Chairman and CEO of Kering, and Marco Bizzarri, President and CEO of Gucci, both expressed their gratitude for Michele’s time with the brand.
“I was lucky enough to meet Alessandro at the end of 2014, since then we have had the pleasure of working closely together as Gucci has charted its successful path over the past eight years. I want to thank him for his 20 years of dedication to Gucci and for his vision, dedication and unconditional love for this unique house during his tenure as creative director,” Bizzarri said in his own statement.
Michele has worked at Gucci since 2002, starting at the design office and helping out in the creative department. During his time as creative director, he styled many celebrities, including a memorable moment at the 2019 Met Gala where Jared Leto and the creative director wore matching looks. More recently, Michele’s Gucci show during Milan Fashion Week 2022 caught social media attention after 68 identical twins, dressed in matching looks, walked the catwalk.
Michele also thanked and praised the Gucci family, saying: “Today ends an extraordinary journey for me, spanning more than 20 years, within a company to which I have tirelessly devoted all my love and creative passion. During this long period of time, Gucci has been my home, my adopted family. To this extended family, to all the individuals who have cared for and supported her, I send my sincerest thanks, my deepest and most sincere hug. Together with them I wished, dreamed, imagined. Without them, nothing I built would have been possible. To them goes my most sincere wish: may you continue to cultivate your dreams, the subtle and elusive matter that makes life worth living. May you continue to nourish yourselves with poetic and inclusive imagery, staying true to your values. May you always live according to your passions, propelled by the winds of freedom.”
Michele’s replacement has not yet been named.
