Alessandro Michele - Designer, Creative Director of Valentino

[PDFSD]

Right. That gucci ad frustrated me because it seeming like clothes from the 1950s is not a good thing. Seamlessly fitting in where I cant even tell what is RTW and what is Costume sounds like a horrible horrible way to sell clothes.

lol yet it did work Gucci's sales totalled 9.63 billion euros ($10.9 billion) at the end of 2019 up from 2018 - 8.284.9 billion euros

 

[Nimsay]

lol yet it did work Gucci's sales totalled 9.63 billion euros ($10.9 billion) at the end of 2019 up from 2018 - 8.284.9 billion euros

Right and now where are they. 2018 might as well be in the stone age.

 

[yslforever]

Right and now where are they. 2018 might as well be in the stone age.

Year. Gucci Revenue (EUR)
2023. €9,87
2022. €10.49
2021. €9.73
2020. €7.44
2019 €9.63
2018. €8.29
2017. €6.21
2016. €4.38
2015. €3.90
(not sure if my formatting is right)
And Michele arrived in January 15 and left in November 22, so his tenure was crucial in turning Gucci into the mega-brand they are now, by selling clothes

 

[Lola701]

^^
And let’s’ add that during the most crucial period (2021/2022), RTW represented around 15% of sales and footwear 19%. So that means 34% for « fashion ». 15% of 9/10 billions for clothes is already insane!

For this kind of company, the healthiest rate is 20/80 but those were insane performances.

 

[LadyJunon]

Year. Gucci Revenue (EUR)
2023. €9,87
2022. €10.49
2021. €9.73
2020. €7.44
2019 €9.63
2018. €8.29
2017. €6.21
2016. €4.38
2015. €3.90
(not sure if my formatting is right)
And Michele arrived in January 15 and left in November 22, so his tenure was crucial in turning Gucci into the mega-brand they are now, by selling clothes

He generated an average of €1.09bn/year. His tenure is actually very similar to Ford's, so I'm surprised they did a 180° with Sabato.

That aside, I think Michele will do well at Valentino, especially when it comes to the brand storytelling and accessories. As long as he makes sure to differentiate his Valentino from his Gucci and know when to scale back the opulence (pre-collections and menswear).

 

[yslforever]

He generated an average of €1.09bn/year. His tenure is actually very similar to Ford's, so I'm surprised they did a 180° with Sabato.

That aside, I think Michele will do well at Valentino, especially when it comes to the brand storytelling and accessories. As long as he makes sure to differentiate his Valentino from his Gucci and know when to scale back the opulence (pre-collections and menswear).

Their excuse in 2021 to fire Alessandro Michele, was that Gucci reached 9,73 € billions instead of the symbolic € 10 billions Kering targeted, and that the menswear (alongside with other lines) stalled, meaning in didn't grow as faster than previously. Kering "strategists and experts" wanted a focus on menswear (with separate shows, collections, and schedules). AM disagreed.
AM can provide a incredible turnover to a brand, that's acquired, it will not be to the taste of everyone, that's for sure, but Valentino has been sleepy and so-and-so for years now....

 

[disco54]

though this last campaign was great... it only highlighted that he is making costumes and gave up on making beautiful clothes

While his runway shows were campy , in the stores most individual pieces were great, I never bought any items under Gucci's previous designer, I bought plenty of pieces under AM's tenure.

 

[Alquimista]

This is great! Emanuele wrote a interesting philosophy book about plants. I wonder how Michele is involved in this. Maybe he's doing illustrations?

 

[Carla55]

This is great! Emanuele wrote a interesting philosophy book about plants. I wonder how Michele is involved in this. Maybe he's doing illustrations?

Michele has a huge culture, his partner is a philosopher and in a certain way Alessandro is one too. Listen to his interviews, or if you find them online, read his press release, his way of thinking is so charming, so different from any other designer... I'm so curious to read that!

 

[Nimsay]

I mean all that junk thrown on the table? Is not reassuring me here.

 

[tourbillions]

I mean all that junk thrown on the table? Is not reassuring me here.

welcome to the new valentino

 

[yslforever]

welcome to the new valentino

yeah it's a minimalist nightmare, but Valentino isn't exactly one, nor a maximalist. I am sure AM can make the difference, after all he worked two decades under more restrained CDs.

 

[LadyJunon]

Valentino chairman claims that Michele's Valentino will end quiet luxury:

Valentino Chairman Bets Quiet Luxury Is Over After Michele Hire

By BLOOMBERG
22 April 2024

The fashion industry’s era of so-called quiet luxury is over and affluent consumers will want bold designs again, the chairman of Valentino has predicted.

Rachid Mohamed Rachid said it will be “a new chapter” for Valentino after the Italian fashion house hired Alessandro Michele as its creative director last month.

Michele, Gucci’s former star designer, is known for his flamboyant and bohemian-chic designs, a sign that Valentino might move away from the minimalist and monochrome styles of his predecessor Pierpaolo Piccioli, who’s more associated with the “quiet luxury” trend that became popular after the pandemic.

“We know that in the last few years, there has been quiet luxury prevailing,” Rachid said in an interview with Bloomberg TV. “My guess, like many others in fashion: this is going to be over.”

He said colors and bold designs will “come back with force and we are getting ready for that.”

Piccioli’s collections created buzz for their elegance and single-colored focus. Two years ago, the label unveiled an autumn and winter collection where all pieces were bright pink. At his last Paris Fashion Week show last month, Piccioli unveiled more than 60 looks with models donning only black pieces, with variations between embroidered and sheer lace dresses.

Valentino surprised the fashion world when it recruited Michele. Under his direction, Gucci sales almost tripled between 2015 and 2019 as his designs attracted younger generations and the company collaborated with other brands such as Adidas AG.

But when Covid-19 hit, sales at Gucci failed to keep up with its biggest rivals such as Louis Vuitton, and parent company Kering SA parted ways with the designer in late 2022.

Valentino is controlled by Qatar’s Mayhoola, but sold a 30 percent stake to Kering last year.

Rachid said conditions remain tough for luxury goods. “This year started with an expectation that the luxury markets will grow between 2 percent to 4 percent,” he said. “My personal feeling is that it will be much less than that — probably it will be flat. The reality is that Europe, the US is still very flat at the moment and China is still weak.”

Still, he said there are signs that a Chinese recovery could take hold in the second half of the year.

By Angela Feliciano and Angelina Rascouet

Source: BoF

 

[tourbillions]

michele would rather move to puglia than do quiet luxury. besides lately it has been so quiet that its not quiet anymore.

 

[Lola701]

I mean he kinda ended minimalism in 2015 but it was short lived because here we are 10 years later and the new alteration of the subject is still going strong.
What a brand needs is a strong identity. That should be the focus, not having a short-term-trend oriented vision.

But it’s a good quote to grab our attention!

 

[Alquimista]

Michele has a huge culture, his partner is a philosopher and in a certain way Alessandro is one too. Listen to his interviews, or if you find them online, read his press release, his way of thinking is so charming, so different from any other designer... I'm so curious to read that!

I've read a few of his interviews, and indeed he is intelligent. Let's wait and see what that's about.