Gucci's leading designer Alessandro Michele vacates creative director post

Gucci, the Italian high-end luxury fashion house based in Florence, Italy, is set to lose its creative director. It was reported that Alessandro Michele, who has been with the company since 2002, is stepping down from the role.

Michele is an Italian fashion designer, and on Wednesday this week, sources who are familiar with the matter said that he is leaving Kering’s top fashion brand after two decades of service. The news was said to have been making circulation earlier, and the source just confirmed it to the media.

The insider further said that Gucci’s parent company, Kering, is expected to make a formal announcement about Michele’s departure. As of this time, both the luxury brand and its parent refused to comment.

The 49-year-old veteran fashion designer started working at Gucci in 2002, but it was only in January 2015 that he was put in charge of all of Gucci's collections and global brand image. Now, after seven years in the creative director post, he is set to make his exit. While there is no mention of the reason for his decision, it was said that there are tensions between him and the senior management at Kering.

As per Reuters, the outgoing Gucci creative director is credited for reviving the luxury brand’s popularity, especially with the Geek-Chic aesthetic and styles. It was noted that his exit from the company comes as the crucial holiday season is coming up, along with a number of fashion shows scheduled for January 2023.

In any case, it turned out that Gucci has already issued a statement regarding Michele’s departure. Kering has spoken to confirm that its creative director is indeed leaving the company.

“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 chief executive officer, Marco Bizzarri, said in a press release. “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.”

François-Henri Pinault, Kering’s chairman and CEO, added, “I am grateful to Alessandro for bringing so much of himself in this adventure. His passion, his imagination, his ingenuity and his culture put Gucci center stage, where its place is. I wish him a great next chapter in his creative journey.”

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