Alessandro Michele - Designer, Creative Director of Valentino

[Frederic01]

A source who spoke on condition of anonymity told WWD that Michele "was asked to initiate a strong design shift" to light a fire under the brand, but the designer did not meet the request. Another source said Francois-Henri Pinault, chairman and chief executive officer of Gucci's parent Kering, is looking at a change of pace for the group's star brand.

WWD

Why would they even request that of him in the first place? If you're going to ask someone who has such a strong design aesthetic to change completely, you might as well just get a new designer because otherwise what's the point? It wouldn't be genuine or authentic to who he is as a person and as a designer.


WWD

 

[RedSmokeRise]

Yikes if true. Good luck to whomever follows that act.

 

[THD96]

Well, another messy break-up between Kering and their designers. Pretend to be shocked.

What goes up must come down, we know this day will come. You can only grow so far with a very limited designer, at one point people are tiring of his aesthetic and move on. Alessandro never strikes me as a designer that can reinvent himself. This is the best you can get from him

Kering also needs to lower its expectations, of course, the sales are going down because the market is already oversaturated with Gucci products being bombarded everywhere.
Fire Alessandro now when his clothes are underperformed for the first time could be bad for the next designer. You either have to double the profit or you out, who want to work in an environment like that?

 

[JohannesL]

A new aesthetic is needed not just for Gucci but for the industry. Looking back to the last decade, I can still remember the main aesthetics that dominated the fashion scenes, such as Hedi's Saint Laurent, Michele's Gucci, Demna's Balenciaga, Daniel's Bottega, and even Maria's Dior, but I am getting bored with those aesthetics. Gucci needs a revamp and so did other brands! I don't mind someone bringing back TF's aesthetic at Gucci!

 

[Machinegumm]

Where will he go from here? He's got such a specific aesthetic, so his options are limited.

Wonder what Kering have in mind when they're talking about "strong design shift." Do they want to go back to the Frida Giannini days?

 

[Frederic01]

Where will he go from here? He's got such a specific aesthetic, so his options are limited.

Wonder what Kering have in mind when they're talking about "strong design shift." Do they want to go back to the Frida Giannini days?

Crazy thought, but he could do an interesting job at Givenchy. The timing could work in terms of MW's contract expiring next year, and then Michele's non-compete expiring a few months later.

Valentino could be an interesting arena for Alessandro also. It's already sliding into that whole Gucci aesthetic anyway, and with Jacopo Venturini there, it could be a reunification of a previously dynamic and successful team.

 

[dodencebt]

This is interesting. Not sure he is being fired though.. I feel like it's a natural progression after his Gucci plateaued? There is clearly nowhere to go after this. The collections are the same, the campaigns are the same, there are only so many collaborations to be done. I think it's fair that Gucci needs a direction change after 7 years, and I also think Alessandro doesn't have anything to give the brand anymore.

 

[upzilicious]

Yesterday : Raf Simons
Today : Alessandro Michele

Who's next?

 

[Marc10]

I'm kinda shocked by this news tbh. I thought he would remain for a least a couple more years. Even if sales are not as huge as before, they're still pretty good and the Alessandro aesthetic is still embraced by the costumers.

This is a big gamble by Kering. Whoever comes next will have a very difficult job. I find if hard to believe they'll be able to give Gucci an immediate hit overhaul like Alessandro did. It will have to be someone will a very strong creative vision.

 

[Mutterlein]

I'm kinda shocked by this news tbh. I thought he would remain for a least a couple more years. Even if sales are not a huge as before, they're still pretty good and the Alessandro aesthetic is still embraced by the costumers.

This is a big gamble by Kering. Whoever comes next will have a very difficult job. I find if hard to believe they'll be able to give Gucci an immediate hit overhaul like Alessandro did. It will have to be someone will a very strong creative vision.

Totally agree.

 

[JoCaderone]

Yesterday : Raf Simons
Today : Alessandro Michele

Who's next?

Matthew Williams plz

 

[perhydrol]

Where will he go from here? He's got such a specific aesthetic, so his options are limited.

I've heard Chanel is pretty desperate to hire him, but I really hope it's not true. I don't think he'd be able to recalibrate his approach to design and that's why I feel like we've already seen everything he had to say. At the same time, that's the thing Chanel doesn't need now.

 

[Lola701]

I think that Michele needs in his design aesthetic to touch 2022 again. Good suits are not enough to have Gucci grounded…

But if he leaves, it will be another episode of KERING vs it designers… I guess the next person in line for replacement will be Demna.

In fashion, it’s always difficult to operate a shift but it’s important as a designer. Michele has been very linear for quite some time now. Stunts on the runway are not enough if the product is not special enough. Frida in her time was really in tunes with the market so she designed more minimalist collections toward the end of her tenure with more valued accessories.

WWD

Why would they even request that of him in the first place? If you're going to ask someone who has such a strong design aesthetic to change completely, you might as well just get a new designer because otherwise what's the point? It wouldn't be genuine or authentic to who he is as a person and as a designer.


WWD

Arnault did it with Galliano at Dior…John was talented enough to make the shift…
I don’t know if Michele is talented enough but I think his presentations, with a bit of clean up can reboost Gucci…

I wonder where he can go tho because clearly his design aesthetic kinda limits him. And at the same time, he became such a big name that the natural progression is to go for a big brand…Unless he has no ego and can see himself take over a smaller brand.

 

[vogue28]

Never rated Alessandro Michele's aesthetic and have been unable to appreciate a single collection under his direction, so the news via WWD's post this morning was much-welcomed. Christmas has come early!

 

[Salvatore]

Come on Tisci !!!!

 

[DK92]

Who's next?

Maria Grazia Chiuri!

 

[GivenchyHomme]

It sounds like he refused to compromise his vision. If that’s the case, then good for him for not bending over backwards for the suits. Kering is an absolute nightmare to work for. I mentioned in a previous thread that once sales go down they’ll throw him to the wolves, and sure enough here we are. I can’t even picture who would be next for the house. Hopefully it will be someone new once again.

 

[Kimihiro]

This is scary for whoever is taking over and Kering isn’t known for a clean exit and might chuck whoever comes next when it’s not going to plan. I’m sure they’d probably want someone who can take it to let’s say LV level sales-wise, and that’s no easy feat. They might need an MGC if they want that.

Alessandro’s singular, eclectic vision was always going to plateau, and it skewed more to trendy than ~luxe~ which could have helped sales skyrocket long-term. He can’t keep selling those damn belts and shirts forever.

 

[Drusilla_]

Like his collections or not, he made Gucci relevant to capital-F Fashion again after a decade of wishy-washy attempts to repeat the Tom Ford style, and whoever fills his shoes has big ones to fill (and also offered a path away from it because it really wasn't the thing for the mid-2010s) It's funny because his early Gucci aesthetic was and still is right up my street, but over the last couple of years I felt it was landing in self-parody territory. There's camp and maximalism, and there's playing your customer for a fool, which really came across strongly in some of the designs and pricing, and also some of the publicity moves (pop star capsule collections? Really?)

Good luck to his successor, Kering designer exits do not seem pleasant. Gucci has always been a label to sell accessories and logos, I hope they don't spend another decade spinning their wheels before finding a way out.

 

[bc collector]

I'm no fan of Michele's, to be clear, BUT.
For me the gist of this story is that Suits (at Kering in particular but not only there) have no respect for creatives. Full stop.
The detail that Pinault was unhappy with Gucci's earnings in the current fiscal year being just +9% vs an expected +10% speaks volumes about the folly that the fashion industry has become.
Along with the news about Raf's label closing (Raf has been very vocal about his disillusionment with the current state of things in fashion), this one is a further remainder of the gap in sensibilities between Bean Counters and Creatives, their relationship doomed to be more and more strained in the long term, and how could it be otherwise? I can't even think about the compromises that designers have to accept today in order to stay afloat.
And how can you be a good professional, let alone a creative one, if you know you are not allowed to fail or let your hair loose even for a second?