Riccardo Tisci’s highly anticipated move to Versace has been confirmed, according to reports, though Versace is not expected to officially announce the news until its next catwalk show in Milan on 24 February.
According to WWD, “the ink is dry on the contract”, and US retailers are excited about the proposition of the former creative chief of Givenchy taking over at the Italian house.
“If I were asked if I’d want to carry Versace if Riccardo was going to be there, I’d say yes, without seeing a thing,” Jeffrey Kalinsky, designer fashion director of Nordstrom and founder of Jeffrey New York, told the publication.
Tisci’s departure from LVMH-owned Givenchy was confirmed last week; he had declined to renew his contract. His move to Versace had been the subject of much industry speculation beforehand. Ticsi is a close friend of Donatella Versace and even included her in the Givenchy advertising campaign for AW15.
Tisci reinvigorated Givenchy during his 12-year tenure and was not only praised for his skills as a designer of both men’s and women’s ready-to-wear and couture but also his mastery of red carpet looks (he had an A list following that included Beyoncé, Jay Z, Rihanna and Kanye West) and social media and marketing.
