Alessandro Michele will make his first presentation for Valentino on Sunday during Paris Fashion Week. The designer, who left Gucci in 2022, was announced as the new creative director of the brand in March. Michele will replace Valentino’s longtime creative director Pierpaolo Piccioli, whose departure was announced days before Michele’s appointment.
Her new role comes with “tremendous responsibility,” Michele wrote in an Instagram post.
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“[Valentino] engraved the word ‘beauty’ into a collective story of research and extreme elegance. My first thought is about this story: the richness of its cultural and symbolic heritage, the sense of wonder that it constantly manages to create, the invaluable identity that its founding fathers Valentino Garavani and Giancarlo Giammetti gave it. with unbridled love. “These are references that have always been an indisputable source of inspiration for me and that I intend to pay tribute to by re-reading them through my creative vision.”
Ahead of Michele’s first Valentino show, WWD offers a sneak peek at the designer as well as his legacy at brands like Gucci and Fendi.
Michele’s Family Inspired Her Love of Art
Speaking to WWD in 2017, Michele described the influence of her father, an airline technician, on her passion for art. Her mother also worked in a creative field and worked as an assistant to a film executive.
“My father was an artist,” Michele said. “It really affected my life a lot. So is my mother. They fascinated me as a kid because my mom was obsessed with movies and my dad was obsessed with art and other things. And nature and animals and crazy things. So I think I’m very lucky because I grew up with all of that.
Michele worked under Karl Lagerfeld at Fendi
Michele was hired at Fendi when she was 25 years old. He designed leather goods under the management of Karl Lagerfeld and Silvia Venturini Fendi and met future Gucci predecessor Frida Giannini. Michele was eventually promoted to senior accessories designer.
Decades later, Michele still fondly remembers her time at the label. In a 2017 interview with WWD, Michele said Fendi was “the best place to learn how to be a creative person.”
“My experience with the brand has been truly impressive. Fendi is the only Italian brand; It was like a couture studio. “This wasn’t the kind of studio we usually see in fashion, in ready-to-wear,” Michele explained. “He was very open to research. “It was full of different input from outside because they really loved Karl and Silvia and they still always like to add something new.”
Michele Started Working at Gucci in 2002
Michele worked at Gucci for more than a decade before being appointed creative director. When Giannini was hired at the fashion house in 2002, he brought Michele with him. He worked as an accessories designer for Tom Ford before being appointed associate creative director of Giannini in 2011. In this role, he was responsible for Gucci’s leather goods, shoes, jewelry and home collections.
Michele Credited with Reinventing and Revitalizing Gucci
Giannini abruptly left Gucci in 2015 and Michele was elevated to his former position. At the time, Gucci’s sales were in decline and president and chief executive Marco Bizzarri was looking for someone with a new vision for the brand, telling WWD that Michele was “exactly the right person” for the role.
Its expertise in accessories was particularly intriguing, a source close to the company told WWD in 2015. “The Michele option reinforces the idea that Gucci wants to get back on track with hot accessories. There hasn’t been an iconic product in the last three or four seasons.”
Michele got to work immediately and completely redesigned Gucci’s fall 2015 men’s collection in just a few days. It was at that show that he took his first bow for the brand, but his first official Gucci presentation as creative director was the fall 2015 women’s collection. The designer wasted no time in recreating Gucci’s image; She created eclectic, gender-fluid looks that would soon become her trademark.
But Michele didn’t abandon Gucci staples like horse moccasins, canvas bags and the brand’s iconic GG logo; instead she revamped them with interesting touches like fur lining, crystal embellishments and embroidery. This fueled Gucci’s sales of accessories, which have historically been the house’s cash cow.
By 2017, Gucci saw its strongest revenue growth in 20 years; In the first quarter, organic sales increased 48.3 percent to 1.35 billion euros, or $1.44 billion.
During Michele’s tenure, Gucci stopped using real fur, introduced luxury jewelry, and relaunched its beauty line.
Michele Recently Wrote Her First Book
The designer’s autobiography “La Vita delle Forme: Filosofia del Reincanto [The Life of Shapes: Philosophy of Re-enchantment]” was published in May by HarperCollins Italia. Co-written by Emanuele Coccia, the book bridges Michele’s passion for fashion and philosophy.
According to his writings, the creative director believed he would be fired after his first Gucci show. “I wasn’t thinking about career,” Michele explained. “I am what I am and I did what I thought was natural. “I just wanted to talk about beauty.”
She also discussed what she learned about the concept of gender fluidity. “I had never heard this term before,” Michele wrote. “I just work by looking at what I see around me, and it seemed perfectly normal to me at the time.”
Michele is an Avid Collector
In her book, Michele admits to collecting various types of objects, including books, sculptures, skirts, chairs, trousers, glasses, paintings and vintage shoes.
“Everything lives regardless of its shape, size, purpose and significance,” the designer wrote. “It is not difficult to perceive the breathing of those around us: When you pay attention, everything starts talking. That is why observing any object is like entering a library where objects whisper, hum, sing.”
One of Michele’s oddball collections is her collection of ceramic boxers, some of which date back to the 1700s. This sparked his interest in working at Ginori, the former Gucci-owned porcelain brand where he served as creative director from 2011 to 2014.
Michele Unveils Her First Valentino Collection in 2024
Michele surprised the fashion world with her first collection for Valentino in June. The Resort 2025 line consists of 171 looks covering women’s and men’s clothing.
The designer delved into Valentino’s archives for inspiration, looking back across decades including the ’50s, ’70s and ’80s.
“I love objects, I have a close relationship with material things, almost like a religious gathering, and I feel like it’s a great privilege to be able to touch them. [Garavani’s] Michele “designs as if it were a part of her life,” she told WWD. “The rugs, the Chinese vases, the beautiful things that surrounded him shaped his designs. It enhanced beauty. “I share the same kind of relationship with fashion, which is a wonderful tool of freedom.”
First Look at Alessandro Michele’s First Collection for Valentino
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Launch Gallery: First Look at Alessandro Michele’s First Collection for Valentino
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