Missoni names Filippo Grazioli as creative director

Missoni is very busy with an extensive relaunch, following an in-depth reorganisation. The Italian label specialised in knitwear embarked on a transition phase after the Fondo Strategico Italiano investment fund (FSI) bought a 41.2% stake in the company, and has reshuffled its design office, naming Filippo Grazioli as creative director of fashion, while Alberto Caliri, who had succeeded Angela Missoni in the same post, will take charge of style for the home decoration line.

Rumours about Grazioli's arrival at Missoni first circulated last autumn, and have now been confirmed by the label. Grazioli, 40, will oversee Missoni's womenswear and menswear collections, as well as the brand’s lifestyle image. He will debut on the Milanese runways next September, with the Spring/Summer 2023 collection.

"In agreement with the [Missoni] family and FSI, we have appointed Filippo Grazioli as Missoni’s new creative director for the men's and women’s collections. A young designer who nevertheless has an 18-year experience working with prestigious fashion labels, Grazioli has joined our team to sublimate Missoni's identity on the luxury market and further strengthen the modernisation process we have engaged in,” said CEO Livio Proli in a press release.

Grazioli is “humble but very determined and, above all, aware that official titles and promotions are not what makes the difference, but the fact of being able to carry out one’s work in a professional, committed and passionate manner, fostering creativity within a business environment,” added Proli.

A graduate of Milan's Istituto Europeo di Design, Grazioli began his career with an internship at Staff International, the production arm of Italian fashion group OTB, where he met Martin Margiela, with whom he collaborated until 2013. He then moved to Hermès, where he worked on the womenswear collections under the aegis of Nadège Vanhee-Cybulski, another designer formerly with Martin Margiela. In 2015, he joined Givenchy, under Creative Director Riccardo Tisci, whom he later followed at Burberry. In his new role, Grazioli is notably tasked with upgrading both the collections and the brand image of Missoni.

“I’m honoured to be joining the world of Missoni, a label that has left its mark in the history of Italian style, maintaining a remarkable integrity over the course of nearly seven decades,” said Grazioli. “I am grateful for the opportunity I have been given, and the possibility to shape my experience further in a new vision that maintains the joyfulness, freshness, sense of colour, and positivity that are the core qualities of Missoni,” he added.

Alberto Caliri, who had taken charge of style last May, following the exit of Angela Missoni, having been her right-hand man for 20 years, was named creative director of the label’s home decoration line, Missoni Home, still spearheaded by Rosita Missoni, the label’s co-founder. Caliri will also oversee the Missoni Sport line, supported by designer Davide Trognetti.

Missoni has been managed since 2020 by former Armani executive Livio Proli. In the last few years, the label has repositioned itself in the market’s high-end segment and invested significantly on digital, especially in China. Missoni has also closed down its young line M Missoni, and taken back control of Missoni Home, previously managed under licence. In 2021, the label recorded double-digit growth again, generating a revenue of €105 million.

Missoni names Filippo Grazioli as creative director

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