In a luxury landscape where creative directors change land almost weekly, few happen quite this fast.
Moschino announced on Friday, June 19, that it was parting ways with creative director Adrian Appiolaza by mutual agreement, effective immediately. Two days later, the house appointed Loris Messina and Simone Rizzo as co-creative directors. The pair will present their first collection in September during Milan Fashion Week.
Massimo Ferretti, executive chairman of Aeffe SpA, thanked Appiolaza "for his significant contribution to the development of Moschino over the past two years." Appiolaza, for his part, said he "was given a remarkable opportunity to express my creativity for an important Italian brand with an extraordinary creative heritage such as Moschino."
Appiolaza was appointed in January 2024 following the sudden and tragic passing of Davide Renne, who held the position for just nine days after the departure of longtime creative lead Jeremy Scott. The Argentinian designer brought to Moschino a decade of experience as women's ready-to-wear design director at Loewe, working with JW Anderson, and previously held the same role at Chloé with Clare Waight Keller. In 2006, he moved to Miu Miu, and four years later joined Marc Jacobs at Louis Vuitton as a senior designer.
His collections were generally well received by critics but did not solve the brand's sales problems. That gap between editorial praise and commercial traction has haunted Moschino for some time now.
Messina and Rizzo exited Sunnei in September last year after selling a majority stake to the Vanguards Group in 2020 for €6 million. Sunnei srl is now in liquidation. The label's final show was staged as a symbolic mock auction before the duo announced their departure hours later. Over the years, the brand built a reputation for graphic, experimental collections and inventive runway formats.
In a joint statement on June 21, the pair said, "We have always admired Franco Moschino's ability to challenge conventions through creativity while maintaining a consistent voice." They described the house as "a cultural house with a strong, recognizable and radical point of view."
Ferretti framed the appointment in terms of balance, noting that Messina and Rizzo "possess the qualities required to embrace this challenge: a contemporary creative vision, a deep cultural sensibility, and the ability to develop relevant and distinctive creative languages."
All of this unfolds against a grim financial backdrop. In May 2026, Aeffe and subsidiary Pollini filed with the Court of Bologna seeking authorization for up to €20 million in super-priority financing from illimity Bank to meet liquidity needs. Consolidated revenues fell 21.3 percent to €251 million in 2024. Restructuring plans may affect staff across Milan and the Emilia-Romagna headquarters, with 221 layoffs under discussion.
Whether two designers known for irreverent spectacle can reignite a brand under that kind of pressure is the question Milan will be watching this fall. September is not far off.
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