Marco Zanini’s appointment as creative director of the recently revived house of Schiaparelli is finally official, WWD reports. Rumors of his hiring began back in April, but neither he nor the brand confirmed until today. He joins Schiaparelli from Rochas, where he worked for five years after stints at Versace, Halston, and Dolce & Gabbana; he was replaced by Alessandro Dell’Acqua on Friday. This round of musical chairs would be more climactic if it were at all a surprise, but it’s still great news that Schiaparelli’s comeback is finally under way.
Founded by Elsa Schiaparelli in the late twenties, the fashion house has been defunct since 1954, and was eventually bought by Italian fashion magnate Diego Della Valle. Following a boost in publicity from the Met’s Costume Institute show in 2012, “Schiaparelli & Prada: Impossible Conversations,” Della Valle announced that he was reopening the brand. While searching for a creative director, he hired celebrated designer Christian Lacroix to do a spectacular, bow-festooned “tribute” collection to the house’s history during the couture shows last January, mostly for the purpose of sustaining public interest.
Marco Zanini’s first collection for Schiaparelli will show during the Paris couture collections this coming January. Born in Milan, 42-year-old Zanini is credited for reviving Rochas’s fashion division in 2008 after it shut down for two years owing to languishing profits. He built his debut collection around the simple, feminine slip dress, and has since become known for creating fantastical but easy-to-wear separates like boxy, fur-trimmed brocade coats and candy-striped trousers. It’ll be fun to see what he does with the house, which is steeped in tradition but hasn’t produced a single garment in over five decades.