There will be a change in approach at Italy's Valentino fashion house with a team replacing the single designer and creative vision giving way to greater organization, the maison's CEO Stefano Sassi said on Thursday.
Taking part in a debate on fashion and innovation, Sassi observed that "strong, creative leadership has been the backbone of many brands. In our case, Valentino Garavani was the driving force behind production and image for 50 years. And he has left us with a brand which has a strong and precise stylistic code".
"Valentino is an iconic brand and we must now move on to another model through a radical change. No longer having a person of his caliber, we must somehow try to fill this void. And we will do this not with the creative vision of one man but with an organization, a leadership which will involve all sectors of management," he continued.
"Valentino will be more focused on brand and designers will have to connect with the brand. The creative side will be handled by a creative team, composed of Alessandra Facchinetti for women's fashion, Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pier Paolo Piccioli for accessories, while for men's fashion we will soon be announcing a designer," Sassi said.
Facchinetti, 35, formerly head of womenswear at Gucci, will begin overseeing the design of Valentino women's collections when the maison's founder retires in January.
Her appointment was made public in September, the day after Valentino officially announced that he was retiring after a 45-year career.
The appointments of Chiuri and Piccioli were announced shortly after.
Valentino, whose full name is Valentino Garavani, presented his last pret-a-porter collection earlier this month in Paris, while his final haute couture collection will hit the Paris catwalk in January.
The Valentino Fashion Group, which was bought in June by private equity fund Permira, said it wanted someone young and commercially minded to lead Valentino into new markets after the founder's departure.
