Alessandra Facchinetti's Last Collection for Valentino
Alessandra Facchinetti's last collection for Valentino was lovely, but corporate politics had her ousted by the end of the week. She is being replaced by longtime Valentino accessories team Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pier Paolo Piccioli. The duo will become creative directors for all categories.
In confirming her exit, Valentino cited "a misaligned vision with the company."
Chiuri and Piccioli worked beside founder Valentino Garavani for 10 years and established the brand’s successful accessories division.
The ousting of Facchinetti underscores both the difficulty in replacing veteran designers and the impatience of private equity funds – new players in an industry whose fortunes hinge on intangibles like creativity and brand aura.
Last year, Permira shelled out about $3.55 billion to buy Valentino Fashion Group, which aside from Valentino owns a majority stake in Hugo Boss and men's wear brand Lebole.
Her vision looks just fine to us. Take a look at her last Spring 2009 ready to wear collection for Valentino:
