During his seven-year helm, Michele transformed the Italian brand into an eclectic fashion powerhouse that embraced diversity and inclusivity
It’s the end of an era: Alessandro Michele is leaving Gucci.
The fashion designer, who has served as creative director of the Italian luxury brand since 2015, announced the news on Instagram.
“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,” Michele wrote in his post. “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.”
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Michele was at the helm of Gucci for seven years, but he began his career at the Italian fashion house over 20 years ago when Tom Ford was still creative director. Michele focused on designing accessories and handbags for the brand, eventually rising through the ranks within the company. His appointment as creative director came hot on the heels of the departure of Gucci’s former designer, Frida Giannini.
Michele’s first Gucci collection for the fall/winter 2015 season established all the style codes that would continue to define his vision of the fashion brand. He offered a genderless and romantic approach to dressing, infused with references to vintage fashion and cinema.
Michele’s designs were also unabashedly maximalist: through his designs, he put bold colour, luxurious fabrications and extravagant embellishments that nodded to the glamour of Old Hollywood in the spotlight.
Read more: How Alessandro Michele Reinvented Gucci
