The waltz of fashion continues to make people dance, with new creative directors stepping in and taking the lead. Recently, there has been a trend of promoting second-in-command talents to the top creative role. In other words, the first assistants and right-hand people, often already responsible for the entire style office as heads of design or fashion directors, are becoming the new creative directors of big brands in the fashion industry.
This shift in leadership shows that seeking stardom is no longer cool and hype; humility and a strong desire to work hard are now the way.
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We have already met many of them before. The French luxury group Kering seems to have introduced this trend several years ago by appointing Alessandro Michele as the creative director for Gucci’s collections and brand image in 2015. Previously, Michele held the role of associate to the creative director, aka his predecessor, Frida Giannini. Later, Michele exited Gucci, and a new number two joined the team, but we will discuss this in the next few lines. In 2021, Kering did the same with Bottega Veneta, where Matthieu Blazy was moved from RTW design director (under former creative director Daniel Lee) to the top post.
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More recently, we have started to get to know some fresh, young creatives, such as Stefano Gallici, the new creative director of Ann Demeulemeester, who made his catwalk debut on 30 September. Born in 1996, he joined the Antonioli group in 2019 and then became part of the Antwerp fashion house in 2020, when Antonioli acquired it. Seán McGirr, the new creative director of Alexander McQueen at the beginning of October 2023, is another upcoming talent. Before succeeding Sarah Burton at the creative helm of the Kering-owned brand, he served as the head of menswear at JW Anderson from 2020.
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We can’t fail Sabato De Sarno, who was Pierpaolo Piccioli’s right-hand man at Valentino for many years and is now leading the new Gucci.
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Or Chemena Kamali, who took the reins at Chloé after the legendary Gabriela Hearst. She is expected to present a pre-fall collection for the Richemont brand in January 2024 and has previously worked for Chloé under Phoebe Philo and Clare Waight Keller.
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Also on the list is Italian Davide Renne, who has just been appointed as Moschino’s new creative director after a long stint at Gucci, working “very closely” with Giannini and Michele. If this is not revenge...
Angelo Ruggeri
Journalist and Master Course Tutor & Fashion Styling Course Leader, Milan
