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Gucci Finally Announced Its New Creative Director

Photo: Vittorio Zunino Celotto/Getty Images

The fashion industry isn’t always known for promoting from within, but lately, that policy seems to be changing. After rumors swirled about practically every designer under the sun being a candidate, Alessandro Michele, formerly Gucci’s head of accessories, has been named to the top post. (He succeeds Frida Giannini, who parted ways with the house a little bit ahead of schedule.) Per Women’s Wear Daily, Michele’s first official collection for the house will be for the women’s fall 2015 show in Milan next month. He has already had a taste of the role’s responsibilities, having directed the design team who put together the “Urban Romanticism”–themed men’s fall 2015 collection that walked the runway on Monday.

Marco Bizzarri, the company’s president and CEO, told the paper, “Alessandro and I are fully aligned on this new contemporary vision needed by the brand and we will be continuously inspired by that new identity in our respective roles and duties.”

Michele has a long history with Gucci. After a stint working with Giannini at Fendi, he joined the company in 2002 as a member of the design team, and was promoted to head of leather goods, shoes, jewelry, and home in 2011. He is also somewhat of a Renaissance man, serving as the head of Gucci-owned porcelain company Richard Ginori.

Gucci Finally Announced Its New Designer