Walter Chiapponi Takes the Reins at Tod's

The rumor had been around for a while, but now it's official: Walter Chiapponi, formerly of Gucci, Valentino, and Bottega Veneta, is the new creative director of Tod's for both menswear and womenswear. After decades of honing his European fashion expertise, the world will finally see what his vision looks like front and center beginning with the Fall 2020 collections.

After the arrival of Carlo Alberto Beretta as general manager this past February, Chiapponi's appointment provides the next piece of the puzzle in the label's new course. The designer and the business expert had previously overlapped at Bottega Veneta during the Tomas Maier era, and now both have the opportunity to shine in their new era at Tod's. The house has been working to attract a younger audience with new initiatives such as the No_Code project's "shoeker" and capsule drops with the likes of Alber Elbaz, and it will be interesting to see where the new team takes these.

The announcement follows years of womenswear collections under the brand's in-house team, with a slow search for a new creative director having been ongoing since Alessandra Facchinetti's exit in 2016. The Tod's team kept things exciting during this period, presenting plenty of covetable Italian daywear and even sending Gigi Hadid down the runway with a dog in a viral Fall 2018 moment, but Chiapponi's new role at the head of creative is sure to keep fashion insiders on the edge of their seats this January and February. The menswear side had a more recent exit, with Andrea Incontri leaving the brand at the end of June.

"It is a great honor to work for this group," the designer said of his new position. "Tod's is a brand that has always represented excellence in the international panorama of Italian quality and style. Being able to contribute to the development of this Italian lifestyle is, for me, a challenge and a source of pride."

We're just three months away from the next round of men's collections, when the world will get its first peek at Chiapponi's direction. With experience across several Italian houses, he certainly seems ready to show the world what he has in store for Tod's.