Alessandro Michele Joins Valentino As Creative Director

"Not all stories have a beginning and an end, some live a kind of eternal present that shines with an intense light, so strong that it leaves no shadows." These are the opening words of the press release in which the now-former creative director of Valentino, Pierpaolo Piccioli, announced his farewell to the Roman fashion house. Now, everyone wants to know: who will take Pierpaolo's place in Piazza Mignanelli? Alessandro Michele was rumored to take over the Roman Maison since Piccioli's departure, and as of March 28, the Gucci alum has signed the contract that will bind him to Valentino as the new creative director. 

Alessandro Michele is Roman and has no intention of moving from the Eternal City, a condition that he has always placed as the starting point in any negotiation since his exit from Gucci. Though he was rumored last year to be behind the resurrection of the brand Walter Albini, which was revived by the Qatari group Mayhoola, that group also owns Valentino, so its CEO, Rachid Mohamed Rachid, would support Michele as Valentino's new Creative Director. In addition to Rachid, Alessandro Michele's candidacy was also supported by the current CEO of Maison Valentino, Jacopo Venturini, who is also ex-Gucci and has had the opportunity to collaborate with Michele for a long period of time.

However, Mayhoola entered into a binding agreement in July 2023 with the French group Kering for the acquisition of a 30% stake in the Roman fashion house, for a cash consideration of €1.7 billion—a prelude, as many sources say, to a future total takeover. That move would bring Valentino into the same big family as Yves Saint Laurent, Balenciaga, Alexander McQueen, Bottega Veneta, and, last but not least, Gucci.

With the news of his new role at Valentino, it appears that Alessandro Michele, after his stormy divorce from Gucci, is willing to return to the Kering orbit. One of the sources reported by WWD declared that "the Valentino project would be very interesting for Michele, as it would also allow him to design Haute Couture collections, and it is no secret that he needs a well-oiled machine behind him to support this work," and continued, saying “Also, Valentino is not as huge in terms of sales as Gucci, so the pressure is different, and, on the contrary, there is strong growth potential.

Given the unique style of maximalism that Michele imparted to Gucci during his time as creative director, it's safe to say that Valentino will be the show to watch for the Spring/Summer 2025 season when Michele makes his directorial debut for Valentino.