Marco Zanini Heads To Schiaparelli

The long-dormant house of Schiaparelli finally has a new Creative Director. The house announced on Monday that Italian designer Marco Zanini would be appointed to the top spot, just days after he presented his well-received collection for Rochas in Paris last week.

Despite the rumours circulating at the time, there was no official announcement made saying that it would be the designer’s final collection for Rochas. (Although the emphatic peace sign Zanini flipped at the end of the show certainly looked like a farewell of sorts.)

Italian businessman Diego Della Valle acquired Schiaparelli some years ago, but he has taken his time finding the right person for the job. In the interim, to help create momentum for the brand, he recruited French model and muse Farida Khlefa as a spokesperson for the house in 2012 and in July of this year, he invited legendary couturier Christian Lacroix to guest-design a one-off couture collection for the house.

Zanini, who has worked previously for Halston and Versace, will present his first collection for Schiaparelli during couture week in January 2014. The 42-year-old designer really hit his stride at Rochas with his elegant and somewhat eccentric collections and as such, he seems a fitting choice for the part, though relaunching an iconic brand like Schiaparelli will be no small task.