Who Is Valentino's New Creative Director?

One week after Pierpaolo Piccioli stepped from down from the helm of Valentino, the Italian fashion house has announced its new creative director: Alessandro Michele. The role will be Michele's first appointment after departing from Gucci in 2022 after spending two decades with the luxury Italian brand. As for the new gig, Michele appears to be approaching his next chapter with equal parts reverence and excitement. "It’s an incredible honour," he said in a statement, citing both the immense joy and huge responsibility that defines such a monumental undertaking. Even with the weight of fashion royalty again resting on his shoulders, Michele is ready to hit the ground running. It is reported that his first day will be Tuesday, April 2, in Valentino's Rome-based headquarters.

While fashion fans will have to wait until September to view Michele's first Valentino designs — his Spring/Summer '25 collection is already being heralded as the most anticipated show of Paris Fashion Week — Michele has hinted at what we can expect from his debut Valentino collection. "My first thought goes to the richness of [Valentino's] cultural and symbolic heritage, to the sense of wonder it constantly generates, to the very precious identity given with their wildest love by founding fathers, Valentino Garavani and Giancarlo Giammetti. These references always represented an essential source of inspiration for me, and I’m going to praise such influence through my own interpretation and creative vision.”

Michele's creative vision is the stuff of legends. His skill at combining groundbreaking fashion-forward design with loving nods to brand heritage can be seen in his work at Gucci, where, under his guidance, the brand tripled its revenue over six years.

Along with the melding of past and present, there may be a new Valentino muse in the future as well. On Monday, March 25, Michele was spotting grabbing lunch with actress and fashion darling Dakota Johnson. The two have been friends and collaborators, since Michele tapped Johnson as the face for his first Gucci fragrance, Gucci Bloom, in 2017.

She has been the face of several Gucci campaigns since then and the pair have appeared as cozy confidants on the steps of more than one Met Gala. Johnson has also turned to the luxury brand for red carpet events, including the Madame Web premiere. Could she be Michele’s first Valentino muse? Only time will tell.