Alessandro Michele is a poet and dreamer with an eye for good business. Which is why the fashion industry has been waiting for his next move ever since his departure from the creative director gig at Gucci in November 2022. Turns out, he’s been hometown bound this entire time because as of April 2, he’s the new creative director at the Rome-based Maison de couture, Valentino.
This new development comes after Pierpaolo Piccioli’s recent departure from the position, which he held for 25 years. And for many fashion insiders, the new appointment makes so much sense that Michele’s first couture presentation for Valentino scheduled for September 2024 has already become the most anticipated fashion show to take place in years!
An Archive Enthusiast
A quick recap of his fashion career reveals his penchant for working towards revival—taking something old and making it new through his creative lens. His fashion career blossomed with the Gucci design studio in 2002, following his tenure as senior accessories designer at Fendi. Initially working as a studio hand to then-creative director Frida Giannini in 2011, Michele’s role expanded in 2014 when he assumed the creative directorship of Richard Ginori, a porcelain brand acquired by Gucci the previous year.
But his artistic genius went into overdrive while at Gucci’s top creative position in January 2015, just two days after his debut bow at the conclusion of the brand’s men’s fall 2015 show. The groundbreaking presentation is often marked as the inception of Gucci’s ‘new look’ with a distinct, unconventional, and androgynous aesthetic.
Yes, we’re talking about the gift of pussy-bow blouses and lace-trimmed shirts for men that Michele bestowed upon the world via his collaborations with Harry Styles and Jared Leto.
Which brings us to Michele’s love for fantastical and dream-like elements in fashion. If Piccioli’s aesthetic perfectly paired edge with romanticism and beauty, then his successor will surely bring in the world-building aspect around the designs, fabrics, garment structures and of course, the accessories.
Honestly, Michele with Lana Del Rey at the 2018 Met Gala looking like heavenly bodies is a fashion moment that we still find ourselves replaying over and over again.
What To Expect From Alessandro Michele At Valentino
The restructuring at Valentino with Piccioli’s exit has largely been touted as a business move rather than a creative one. Many heritage brands have been working towards moving on from the sales slump from the last ten years, with success stories to show for like Dior and Michele’s own Gucci stint that almost trippled the label’s sales in a matter of a couple of years.
Not to say that Valentino did not flourish under industry darling Piccioli, but is the fashion house looking to bank more with Michele’s blend of eccentricity, maximalism, gender fluidity, geek chic, and unapologetic quirkiness? Alessandro has largely denied the ‘quiet luxury’ movement and maintained that clothes alone have no meaning without context.
And often the context seems to be drawn from eras long gone past. He loves incorporating prints, embroidery, and appliqués—treasured elements reminiscent of a bygone era—into his work to craft a fresh, modern narrative. An approach that may be in line with the nostalgia-binge that fashion consumers have been on lately. While it seems like a plausible explanation, with Michele and Valentino becoming a match made in heaven, only time will tell how it comes to fruition!
Featured Image: @Instagram/alessandro michele
