After four years as creative director of Blumarine, Nicola Brognano is leaving the company, WWD reports.
Brognano is largely to thank for reviving Blumarine’s Y2K aesthetic, which brought the brand back into the mainstream fashion discourse, especially online. The designer described this as “a truly unique and exciting opportunity” in a statement to WWD about his exit. “I thank Marco Marchi for this chance and my team for the extraordinary work achieved together.”
Marchi’s the founder of Blumarine’s parent company, EIH Eccellenze Italiane. He appointed Brognano to his role in 2019, with the intention of reviving the brand for a new generation. He said of the designer: “Nicola has been able to interpret the codes of Blumarine, reoffering them in an original and contemporary way, thus revamping the interest in the brand among fashion professionals and customers,” before thanking him “for the great professionalism demonstrated in these four years of fruitful collaboration.”
Brognano is one of several creative directors to leave their position this year — Jeremy Scott at Moschino, Sarah Burton at Alexander McQueen and Gabriela Hearst at Chloé, to name a few).
Prior to joining Blumarine, Brognano had a namesake label, which he launched in 2016 after working with Giambattista Valli and Dolce & Gabbana Alta Moda in the ’90s. (He put it on hiatus once he joined Blumarine.) With the news of his exit, perhaps a return to his own brand is in the cards.
Want the latest fashion industry news first? Sign up for our daily newsletter.