Gianfranco Gianangeli, chief executive officer of Maison Margiela since mid-2020, has resigned from the position and will leave in the coming weeks, market sources told WWD.
His next move could not immediately be learned. The same sources said Italy’s OTB, parent of the Paris-based fashion house, has already identified his successor and the person is expected to arrive in the coming months.
The identity of the new manager could not immediately be learned.
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Contacted by WWD late on Thursday, OTB confirmed the end of its collaboration with Gianangeli by mutual agreement and added that “the company will announce its new leadership in the coming weeks.”
Gianangeli has kept a low-profile during his tenure — apt considering that the founding Belgian designer, Martin Margiela, was frequently referred to as fashion’s invisible man given his personal no-interviews, no-photo policy.
But the business has roared ahead in recent years, especially in China. Acclaimed British couturier John Galliano has been creative director since 2014, creating fashion fireworks galore and adding heat to the brand’s burgeoning accessories business and its retail expansion.
Gianangeli had joined Maison Margiela from his family-owned, namesake knitwear manufacturer in Perugia, Italy, which he had revitalized, securing production contracts for several marquee European luxury brands.
Before that, he was global retail director at Givenchy and associate international director at Prada. He also worked for several years at Bottega Veneta in various merchandising positions and as that brand’s regional vice president in Japan.
When he joined Margiela, sources had described Gianangeli as a well-rounded executive with an entrepreneurial streak, and strong merchandising flair. He came in to lead one of the key growth engines at OTB, alongside its core Diesel brand, and spearheaded several key retail openings and the fashion house’s move to swanky, expansive new headquarters on the Place des États-Unis in Paris.
Renzo Rosso’s OTB swept in and bought a majority stake in Margiela in 2002, one of a series of acquisitions aimed at building a multibrand Italian group.
Today OTB also comprises Jil Sander, Marni, Viktor & Rolf and a stake in Amiri, as well as production arms Staff International and Brave Kid.