The fashion world is lamenting Alessandro Michele’s departure from Gucci. It was announced that Michele would be exiting the creative director role after being at the helm since 2015.
A beloved name in fashion, the news has been received mostly with shock. Here is your chance to get to know who Alessandro Michele is and what did for the Gucci house.
Who Is Alessandro Michele?
Best known for his years at Gucci, the designer is responsible for taking the house into a new aesthetic era. Michele’s vision for Gucci was one of eclecticism infused with nostalgia throughout each collection.
Born in Rome in 1972, Alessandro Michele is an Italian fashion designer. Michele knew early on in life that he was passionate about fashion and he went to study at Costume e Moda after finishing school. Michele then went on to work for the prestigious fashion houses Fendi and Gucci.
Some designers stay out of the spotlight, however Michele doesn’t shy away from being a part of Gucci’s image. In 2017, he was named as one of TIME’s 100 most influential people.
Michele has a tight relationship with a number of celebrities including Nick Cave and Jared Leto. The latter with whom he has attended multiple events in matching outfits. Another celebrity with close ties to Gucci and Alessandro Michele is Harry Styles, who became an ambassador for Gucci in 2017.
Alessandro Michele’s career at Gucci ended in 2022, with the designer leaving the following message on social media:
‘There are times when paths part ways because of the different perspectives each one of us may have. Today an extraordinary journey ends for me, lasting more than twenty years, within a company to which I have tirelessly dedicated all my love and creative passion. During this long period Gucci has been my home, my adopted family. To this extended family, to all the individuals, who have looked after and supported it, I send my most sincere thanks, my biggest and most heartfelt embrace. Together with them I have wished, dreamed, imagined. Without them, none of what I have built would have been possible. To them goes my most sincerest wish: may you continue to cultivate your dreams, the subtle and intangible matter that makes life worth living. May you continue to nourish yourselves with poetic and inclusive imagery, remaining faithful to your values. May you always live by your passions, propelled by the wind of freedom.’
Michele's successor has yet to be announced. Alessandro Michele lives in Rome with his partner, Giovanni Attili.
Alessandro Michele’s Career
1994-1997 - Les Copains (knitwear)
1997-2002 - Fendi (leather goods)
2002-2006 - Gucci (bags)
2006-2011 - Gucci (leather goods)
2011-2015 - Gucci (Associate Designer)
2015-2022 - Gucci (Creative Director)
Alessandro Michele At Gucci
How Did Alessandro Michele Start At Gucci?
After Frida Giannini left her creative director role, Michele was brought on as an interim creative designer for Gucci’s January 2015 menswear show. With only one week to turn the show around, Michele rose to the challenge and was appointed as creative director of Gucci only two days after the show.
What Alessandro Michele Did For Gucci
Tim Blanks at Vogue described Alessandro Michele’s impact on the brand as ‘new Gucci: nonconformist, romantic, intellectual’. If Michele’s predecessor Tom Ford’s Gucci era was described as ‘sexy Gucci’, the Michele era could be described in contrast as androgynous, maximalist, and theatrical.
Michele embedded each Gucci collection with a vintage-inspired flair. Fans of the brand could come to expect the unexpected, with an eclectic style that became synonymous with the Gucci way. The runway looks saw an amalgamation of decades merge together, such as '70s-inspired flared trousers with '80s-style sunglasses.
Alessandro Michele brought back Gucci’s Beauty collection in 2019. He also launched and designed the brand’s first ever fine jewelry collection.
The Best Of Gucci
- Dionysus Bag
- GG Canvas
- GG Marmont
1. Dionysus Bag
Created by Alessandro Michele in 2015, the Dionysus bag is named after the Greek god who embodied lavishness. Dionysus was said to have crossed a river on a tiger, which is why the hardware detail on the Dionysus bag from Gucci features tiger head motifs.
2. GG Canvas
The GG monogram logo was created in 1961, combining Guccio Gucci’s initials. The monogram features on many of the canvas accessories and has become a signature for the brand. It is featured throughout Gucci’s seasonal collections, sometimes updated with an overlay design.
3. GG Marmont
A year after Dionysus came the Gucci Marmont bag. Another style introduced by Alessandro Michele, the Marmont bag is named after Chateau Marmont in Los Angeles. The bag has a matelassé finish and a logo plaque on the front.
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