10 Things You Might Not Know About Alessandro Michele
As the designer begins a new era with Valentino, here are some things you might not have known.
Alessandro Michele just debuted a head turning 20th-century inspired collection for Valentino Spring/Summer 2025 at Paris Fashion Week. But what else would you expect from the designer known for leaning into the more opulent side of life? After a long run designing at Gucci beginning in the Tom Ford era, Michele made a name for himself as the creative director for the brand from 2015 to 2022. And now, after a dramatic leave from Gucci, he has brought his eccentric vision catered to those who lean towards maximalism to another iconic Italian fashion house.
Michele was appointed creative director of Valentino in March 2024, succeeding the Valentino veteran Pierpaolo Piccioli, with the intention of breathing new life into the brand embedded with rich history. Here are 10 things to know about Alessandro Michele in celebration of his first Valentino collection.
Michele is a born and bred Roman with no intention of leaving the Eternal City.
Michele's former teacher at the Academia Costume & Moda, Elisabetta Proietti, said in a T Magazine profile on the designer, "Rome is in Alessandro’s veins.” His childhood growing up surrounded by ancient ruins and artistic masterpieces seeps into his designs, which have often highlighted history and philosophy.
His parents had an appreciation for art and creativity.
Michele's father was an Alitalia technician, and his mother, the assistant to a film executive, helped inspire his love for art.
As stated in his BoF profile: "he grew up with an instinctive appreciation of visual stimuli thanks to his mother’s love of cinema and his father’s interest in sculpture."
He recently co-authored a book alongside the philosopher Emanuele Coccia.
The book titled The Life of Forms—Theory of the Re-enchantment published by Harper Collins in Italian is set to be released in English next fall. It explores the profound connection between fashion and philosophy.
"Like children, they seem to be best friends," Michele told Vogue UK in June. "I’ve never seen two things so perfect for each other, they seem to be the missing part of one another."
He met his longtime partner, Giovanni Attili on Myspace.
The two met in 2005 during the early days of social media, connecting through mutual friends and chatting over the website before forming a relationship. Attili is a professor of Urban Planning at the University of Rome "La Sapienza" and has influenced Michele's interest in philosophy.
Michele is an avid reader and prefers history books.
In a profile by WWD, Michele said he prefers history books to novels and newspapers. “I am a bit of a nosey parker. I like to read about the life of others, I am curious and often read bits of several books at the same time, and I jot down thoughts on notebooks and scraps of paper..." he said in the article. His obsession with the past has continuously shown through his collections at Gucci and more recently Valentino.
He has a loyal celebrity following.
While at Gucci, Michele gained celebrity admirers, friends, and collaborators from Lana Del Rey and Dakota Johnson to Elton John and Salma Hayek. He famously twinned with Jared Leto when he dressed Leto for the Met Gala in 2022. Another notable friend of Michele's is Harry Styles, who he collaborated with on an exclusive shirt design for the singer in 2019, and also dressed for the Met Gala the same year.
Michele is an avid collector of household objects.
Michele collects anything from ladles to wood and glass cabinets. He showed Vogue all around his extravagantly beautiful Roman apartment last year, proving that his maximalist aesthetic extends to his interior design.
He gravitates toward ugly things when designing.
In a 60 Minutes interview in 2021, Michele said he goes for the stranger side of fashion when designing and is drawn to work with pieces that may leave most uncomfortable. But in classic Alessandro Michele fashion, he takes what others may deem as ugly and makes them incredibly cool.
He studied costume design and originally saw himself going to Hollywood.
In the same 60 Minutes interview, Michele discussed how he originally studied costume design while in school and thought that was the career path he was destined for. Yet when he landed a job with Fendi in the 90s, it was clear that high fashion design was his calling, and he has since then led an illustrious career to become one of the biggest names in 21st-century fashion.
His time at Gucci led the brand to massive success.
Already working at Gucci for many years after being appointed by Tom Ford, Michele knew the brand and had fresh ideas to bring in when he was appointed as creative director. During his time in the role, he brought Gucci's annual revenue of 3.9 billion euros in 2015 to 9.7 billion euros in 2021, thus proving that his eccentric eye was what the brand needed for continued success.
