Ferrucio Pozzoni has been appointed chief designer for menswear at the Valentino fashion house, a company statement said on Wednesday.
He will work under the direct supervision of Alessandra Facchinetti, who is now the sole creative director for luxury brand.
Pozzoni, 47, has already been working on the men's collection which is set to be presented in Paris on January 19.
The presentation in Paris is a break with tradition because until now Valentino usually presented men's fashion in Milan and women's collections, both pret-a-porter and haute couture, in Paris.
Pozzoni worked for the Prada group from 1998 to 2004, designing lines for both the Miu Miu and Prada Men brands, before joining Bironi where he became creative director for menswear in 2005.
The 35-year-old Facchinetti, formerly head of womenswear at Gucci, officially took over as creative director from the maison's founder Valentino Garavano at the start of the year.
Her appointment was made public in September, the day after Valentino officially announced that he was retiring after a 45-year career.
Facchinetti's supervision of the brand's complete line is an example of the ''new approach'' CEO Stefano Sassi has imposed at the fashion house.
Speaking last October, 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''.
''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 person but with an organization, a leadership which will involve all sectors of management,'' he said.
The appointment of Pozzoni fills out the new team at Valentino which includes former Dolce & Gabbana design assistant Antonio Pino called in to play the same role for Facchinetti in the womenswear department, while Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pier Paolo Piccioli are responsible for accessories.
The Valentino Fashion Group was acquired last June by private equity fund Permira and its new management said it wanted someone young and commercially minded to lead Valentino into new markets after the founder's departure.
