Valentino's Chairman, Stefano Sassi has named Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pier Paolo Piccioli, the team behind the successful accessories branch of the brand, as the new creative directors of the company.
Sassi made it clear after Alessandra Facchinetti's Valentino show on Friday that it would be her last, bringing to an end the fever pitch of speculation which had risen to a head in Paris.
The news came as a surprise to Facchinetti, who seemingly had no idea of her dismissal. She took over at the end of last year after Valentino himself resigned in October. "It was with deep regret that I learnt from the press that I would no longer be working with Valentino," she wrote in a public email following the show.
"This news came as a great surprise since the company's top management has not yet seen fit to inform me. I would like to thank Valentino s.p.a. for showing their appreciation of my 'creative contribution and my sophisticated talent' although I deeply regret the fact that this talent and contribution do not seem to have been adequately acknowledged."
While Facchinetti licks her wounds in private, Chiuri and Piccioli are understandably thrilled with the developments, saying: "We are excited and honoured by the opportunity offered to us. We will remain faithful to the core values, while developing new ideas that will combine Valentino's legacy with a contemporary concept."
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