After 25 years of being the creative director at one of the most traditional fashion houses of Italy, Pierpaolo Piccioli will be leaving Valentino, and his substitute will be the one and only, Alessandro Michele.
The former creative director of Gucci, between 2015 and 2022, was responsible for changing the image of the brand, putting it on evidence again. While promoting a more genderless space in fashion, Alessandro engaged with the younger generation. During his time there, he made big collaborations with plenty of teen idols, such as Harry Styles, Lana Del Rey and Billie Eilish, just to name a few.
WHO IS ALESSANDRO MICHELE?
The designer is very well known in fashion for having a strong aesthetic sense and being very clear about his style. With extravagant designs that combine classical fabrics and silhouettes with modern takes, Alessandro knows really well his “thing” and sticks to it. But will his strong ideals of fashion work with the classical designs of Valentino?
Historically, Valentino isn’t the type of fashion house that tried to make a revolution in fashion, in fact it was never Valentino Garavani’s idea, the creator of the brand. Valentino’s only goal was to make women feel beautiful. While on the other side, Alessandro Michele, also an Italian, but from another generation, is the complete opposite from Garavani.
The former creative director of Gucci uses fashion as a protest. As well as he tends to a 70s boho aesthetic, he also loves to play with gender, making us wonder as each model comes on stage if it is boy’s or girl’s clothes. And that is the thing. It does not matter, anything you like can be yours. There are no limits for Alessandro Michele.
A good example of that is the Gucci outfit that Harry Styles wore in the 2019 Camp Met Gala. That night, that was the most talked about topic on the internet: the blouse and the pearls that Harry wore. The singer, who was standing next to Alessandro himself, was wearing a black see-through ruffed blouse, with black trousers and one single pearl earring. The outfit was designed exclusively for him, by the creative director of Gucci. That one particular outfit together with the reaction of the public is a perfect description of his style of fashion.
If used well, that ability of catching people’s eyes and interest could lift up Valentino, which has not been on huge evidence in a few years, even though being a well established brand. The last time Valentino went viral was with the Valentino Pink and the platform sandals, but both of the occasions weren’t enough to put it on the pedestal again.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Pierpaolo Piccioli, the former designer of the house for 25 years, performed an outstanding job at the Maison, and it is undeniable that he will be leaving a legacy at the house. But when it comes to fashion, new blood is always a win, when it comes with good directioning, of course. But the experience that Alessandro Michele has and his energeticness combined with the extremely capable traditional workers of the Italian Mansion, that collaboration could be exactly what Valentino and Alessando need. For one, more boldness, and for another, a more tradicional way of thinking fashion.
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The article above was edited by Giulia El Houssami
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