Alessandro Michele Designer

Alessandro Michele (born in Rome, 25th November 1972) grew up in Rome with an instinctive appreciation of the visual thanks to his mother’s love of cinema and his father’s interest in sculpture. As a teenager he took part in the vibrant youth culture of post-punk Europe and his interest in street style lives on in his designs today.

After studying costume design at Rome’s Academy of Costume and Fashion he joined the Italian knitwear brand Les Copains. Then, working under Karl Lagerfeld and Silvia Venturini Fendi at Fendi in the late 1990s he helped the firm achieve great results with its leather goods. Tom Ford poached him to design bags for Gucci in 2002 where he has been working ever since, becoming associate designer to Frida Giannini in 2011 and Creative Director for Richard Ginori in 2014, before being invited to take up a post as Creative Director for Gucci on 21st January 2015.

Previously responsible for all of Gucci’s collections, product categories and the company’s global brand image, Alessandro’s unique understanding and appreciation of the historical codes of the House, combined with his contemporary sensibility, created a compelling new narrative for the brand.

In November 2022, Michele and Gucci parted ways. “The road that Gucci and Alessandro walked together over the past years is unique and will remain as an outstanding moment in the history of the house,” said Kering chief François-Henri Pinault. “His passion, his imagination, his ingenuity and his culture put Gucci centre stage.”