It's Official, Alessandro Michele Is Leaving Gucci
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Not even a day after reports of the potential change surfaced online, Gucci has officially confirmed that Alessandro Michele, its creative director for nearly the past eight years, is leaving the brand.
The news comes after some major changes being made at brands under the Kering group, including Bottega Veneta, which bid farewell to Daniel Lee, the designer that transformed the brand into one of today's hottest, enlisting Matthieu Blazy instead.
"I was fortunate to have had the opportunity to meet Alessandro at the end of 2014, since then we have had the pleasure to work closely together as Gucci has charted its successful path over these last eight years," Gucci's president and CEO Marco Bizzarri said in a statement. He added, "I would like to thank him for his 20 years of commitment to Gucci and for his vision, devotion and unconditional love for this unique house during his tenure as creative director." Kering's chairman and CEO François-Henri Pinault continued, "The road that Gucci and Alessandro walked together over the past years is unique and will remain as an outstanding moment in the history of the House."
Michele spoke of his time at Gucci:
"There are times when paths part ways because of the different perspectives each one of us may have. Today an extraordinary journey ends for me, lasting more than 20 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."
The now-former creative director was first hired by Tom Ford to work for Gucci in the early '00s, where he worked with Frida Giannini at the accessories studio. He then became the creative director, showcasing his first collection in January 2015. Throughout his time, Michele transformed Gucci as well as the larger industry, reinventing the brand with a gender-fluid approach to fashion.
Naturally, the industry and fans are now wondering who will succeed Michele, following the creative's influential time at the house. According to the official statement, the design office "will continue to carry the direction of the house forward until a new creative organization will be announced." According to WWD, Remo Macco and Davide Renna -- both Gucci veterans -- are potential candidates.
As for Michele, there's no official word as to where the designer will be headed next. However, sources speculated he "could be receiving a phone call from Pinault’s arch rival Bernard Arnault any time soon," especially with Louis Vuitton waiting to fill its menswear role.
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