Fashion

Tod's appoints Walter Chiapponi as new creative director


Tod's appoints Walter Chiapponi as new creative director

Tod’s Group has appointed former Bottega Veneta designer Walter
Chiapponi as its new creative director.

Chiapponi’s first designs for Tod’s will be revealed in the form of the
brand’s women’s and men’s autumn-winter 2020/21 collection, which will hit
stores next Autumn.

The Italian fashion designer has made a name for himself holding senior
designer positions at luxury heavyweights including Valentino, Gucci and
Prada Group’s Mui Mui. Most recently, Chiapponi worked at Italian label
Bottega Veneta where he was design director for over two years.

Chiapponi will be joining another Bottega Veneta alumni in his new post.
The Italian brand’s former CEO Carlo Alberto joined Tod’s in February as general
manager, a connection that has been reported as a potential link to Chiapponi.

The news comes after the then-creative director of menswear Andrea
Incontri stepped down from his role at the Italian luxury group in June
after being appointed in 2014.

Walter Chiapponi joins Tod’s Group

Commenting on his appointment in a statement, Chiapponi said: “It is a great
honour to work for this Group. Tod’s is a brand that has always represented an
excellence in the international panorama of Italian quality and style. Being able
to contribute to the development of this Italian lifestyle is, for me, a challenge and a reason
to be proud.”

Diego Della Valle, president of Tod’s Group, added: “Walter Chiapponi is a talented Italian
creative who knows and is able to combine Tod’s Italian lifestyle with a
touch of modernity, without ever losing sight of the high quality and
craftsmanship that represents the brand’s DNA. I welcome him and wish him
well in his new role.”

This latest appointment comes as Valle moves forward with a turnaround programme that
includes a shake-up of the brand’s executive team, a refocus on a younger consumer, and the 2017
launch of a new business model called Tod’s Factory. The turnaround strategy has resulted in higher than
expected investments for the brand. For the first half of 2019, Tod’s reported a net loss of 6 million euros
as sales fell 4.7 percent to 454.6 million euros.

Photo courtesy of the brand



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