June 1, 2023 |
After just over a week of pensive speculation, Ann Demeulemeester has announced its new creative director: Stefano Gallici. Gallici will succeed Ludovic De Saint Sernin, who made a rather quiet, but abrupt exit from the house in May, after only six months at its helm.
Born in 1996, after completing his studies in fashion design at the Università Iuav di Venezia in Venice, Gallici began working in Antwerp as the assistant designer to Haider Ackermann. Thereafter, he moved on to the Antonioli Group, founded by Claudio Antonioli, in January 2019. The Antonioli Group would acquire Ann Demeulemeester the following year, along with its complete archive, headquarters, historic flagship in Antwerp, and showroom space in Paris. Since 2020, the 27-year-old has served as the Belgian fashion house’s menswear designer – so he’s nothing new to the brand – playing a key role in the development of the brand. “Stefano immediately demonstrated a strong creativity and a clear vision for Ann Demeulemeester,” Antonioli said per an exclusive for WWD. “He represents the DNA of the brand with an eye to the future.”
A fiercely independent brand renowned for its elegant tailoring, serene and darkly romantic yet glamorous aesthetic, and intriguing mix of edgy rebellion and sex-positive sophistication, Ann Demeulemeester has garnered a star-spangled fanbase in recent years.
Stefano Gallici’s debut collection for the label is set to be unveiled on September 30 during Paris Fashion Week.
Photography courtesy of Ann Demeulemeester.
