Alessandro Michele Announces his Departure from Gucci

He had been appointed artistic director of the Italian label in 2014, to the surprise of everyone. His departure just announced by the Italian brand, is equally unexpected.

After 20 years with the company and playing a major role in the transformation of the Italian label, Alessandro Michele is stepping down. The 49-year-old Italian designer had joined the Florentine house in 2002, making his debut as a creative assistant. In December 2014, he was propelled to the position of artistic director by François-Henri Pinault. Then unknown to the fashion world, he takes over from the designer Frida Giannini, who left suddenly, whose right hand he was. From the outset, he wrote his legend by designing the collection (men) in five days. This one is presented in January 2015.

This first show, which was produced in record time, left observers circumspect, but unanimous: Alessandro Michele gave the Italian label a new lease on life. Transparency, questions about identity and gender, assumed eccentricity, strong and desirable accessories: the Italian revived the machine, owned by the Kering group, whose sales had lost steam over the last decade. Michele's new look has been a hit with customers, many of whom are millennials, as well as celebrities like Jared Leto and Harry Styles, two of the designer's close friends, and more recently with Frenchwoman Lou Doillon. Gucci became the flagship of the French group (which also owned Balenciaga and Saint Laurent), and was responsible for most of its profits. But the growth began to slow down recently. Declining sales that could explain the departure of the Italian, as well as the emergence of divergent visions.

"An extraordinary journey."

"There are times when paths part due to the different perspectives each of us may have," said Alessandro Michele in a note released by Gucci. He continued, "Today, an extraordinary journey ends for me, one that has lasted over twenty years, within a company to which I have tirelessly dedicated all my love and creative passion."

"The journey Gucci and Alessandro have taken together over the past few years is unique, and will remain an extraordinary moment in the history of the house. I am grateful to Alessandro for his personal investment in this adventure. His passion, imagination, imagination and culture have helped put Gucci back on the map, where it belongs. I wish him the best for the rest of his creative career," said François-Henri Pinault, Chairman and CEO of the Kering Group.

The question now is the future of the Italian designer, and that of Gucci. For now, the brand said that "the creative studio will continue to ensure the creative responsibility until a new organization is announced. The men's collection is expected to be unveiled in January in Milan. As for Alessandro Michele, speculation about his future has only just begun.