From shake-ups in Burberry and Bottega Veneta to Raf Simons closing his namesake label, the fashion industry is back to playing a game of musical chairs. Overnight, Kering announced that Gucci and Alessandro Michele have decided to part ways.
The Creative Director, who has been at the helm since 2015 but in Gucci for 20 years, has played a fundamental part in Gucci’s groundbreaking creativity. Known for his fantastical idealism and whimsical approach to fashion, he always stayed true to the renowned codes of the House whilst adding that exquisite oomph.
In a heartfelt statement, the Creative Director said: “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 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.”
Whilst we’re still unsure of Michele’s successor, Gucci’s design office will continue to carry the direction of the House forward until a new creative organisation will be announced. Stay tuned!
In the meantime, Alessandro Michele: you will be missed.
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