Valentino Announces Alessandro Michele As Its New Creative Director

Following last Friday’s shocking news that Pierpaolo Piccioli, Valentino’s former creative director of 25 years, would be stepping down, the fashion crowd immediately began guessing about his successor. At the top of the list? Italian designer Alessandro Michele, who, as you may know, was at the helm of Gucci until November 2022. Clearly, their instincts were right. On March 28, Valentino named Michele as its new creative director. His first day at the storied Italian fashion house is slated for April 2 (yes, as in next week), while the designer’s debut collection will be for the Spring/Summer 2025 season.

Michele confirmed the news via an Instagram carousel this morning. “It’s an incredible honour for me to be welcomed at Maison Valentino,” he wrote on one of the slides. “I feel the immense joy and the huge responsibility to join a Maison de Couture that has the word “beauty” carved on a collective story, made of distinctive elegance, refinement and extreme grace.”

In the statement, the designer thanks Valentino’s chairman for the opportunity. “My heartfelt gratitude, of course, goes to Rachid Mohamed Rachid who gave me this unique and irreplicable occasion,” wrote Michele. “His trust is a gift of the soul that I will try to cherish with my work and total devotion.”

During his tenure at Gucci, it’s no secret Michele, who grew up in Rome, left a lasting imprint on the fashion world. He joined the luxury label as its accessories designer in 2002, and by 2015, he was appointed creative director. Through the years, Michele became synonymous with maximalism. Gucci’s furry Princetown slippers, its collab with Adidas (aka, Guccididas), the punk-goth resort 2017 styles, and the glamorous collection for the “Love Parade” show in 2021 were among some of his most memorable moments. Michele was also never afraid to push the envelope with his designs and creative ideas. Case in point: His internet-breaking Fall/Winter 2018 collection, which featured models holding replicas of their own heads. How could the world ever forget that?

What’s more, Michele forged close celebrity ties during his time at the heritage fashion house. Perhaps you recall the 2022 Met Gala, when Michele arrived twinning with actor Jared Leto in custom Gucci suits. The designer also counts long-time Gucci muse Dakota Johnson, who was the face of the campaign for Michele’s first fragrance for the brand in 2017, as a good friend (the two were just spotted exploring Rome together last week).

If his upcoming Valentino collections are anything like his famous work at Gucci, it’s safe to say he’ll bring a fresh new vision to the Italian label.