10 facts about Alessandro Michele, the creative director of Valentino
As a new era begins with the Roman fashion house, here are some interesting facts about the Roman designer.
After a long career at Gucci , which began under the guidance of Tom Ford, Alessandro Michele established himself as the brand's creative director from 2015 to 2022. After a sensational farewell, he landed at Valentino , another iconic Italian fashion house. He has been the creative director of the Roman fashion house since March 2024, succeeding Pierpaolo Piccioli , and brought his aesthetic vision, and not only, back into the spotlight with the spring summer 2025 collection .
Roman by birth, Alessandro Michele has no intention of leaving the Eternal City
His former teacher at the Accademia Costume & Moda, Elisabetta Proietti, told T Magazine : “Rome is in Alessandro’s blood.” His childhood, spent among ancient ruins and artistic masterpieces, but also in the suburbs of the capital, is palpable in his creations, which often celebrate history, philosophy, humanity in all its facets, embracing both the beautiful and the grotesque.
He inherited his passion for art and creativity from his parents
Michele's father was a technician at Alitalia, while his mother, an assistant to a film director, nurtured his love for the seventh art and for creativity in general. As reported by BoF : "I grew up with an innate sensitivity for visual stimuli thanks to my mother's passion for cinema and my father's interest in sculpture."
Michele is an avid reader
Alessandro Michele told WWD that he prefers history books to novels and newspapers. “I am curious by nature. I like reading about other people’s lives, I am curious and I often read fragments of several books at the same time, taking notes on notebooks and sheets of paper…,” he revealed. His obsession with the past has been a constant in his collections for both Gucci and, more recently, Valentino.
He recently published a book together with a philosopher
"La vita delle forme – Teoria del reincanto" (Life of Forms – Theory of Reincantation) , published by Harper Collins in Italian (soon to be published in English) explores the connection between fashion and philosophy. «Like children, they seem to be best friends» , Michele said, «I have never seen two things so perfect for each other; they seem to be the missing part of each other» .
He met his partner on Myspace
Alessandro Michele and Giovanni Attili met in 2005, in the early days of social media, through mutual acquaintances, and began chatting on the site MySpace before starting a relationship. Attili is a professor of Urban Planning at the University of Rome "La Sapienza" and influenced Michele's interest in philosophy.
He has a loyal following among celebrities
During his time at Gucci, Michele attracted celebrity admirers, friends and collaborators such as Lana Del Rey, Dakota Johnson, Elton John and Salma Hayek. One famous moment was when he walked the red carpet at the 2022 Met Gala with Jared Leto, wearing matching looks. Another great friend of Michele is Harry Styles , with whom he has collaborated since 2019 and who shares a passion for the Eternal City, where they are often spotted strolling together - the British singer has made homes in both Rome and Civita di Bagnoregio, where Michele owns an ancient castle.
Michele is a collector of everyday objects
He collects everything from ladles to wood and glass furniture. Last year he opened the doors of his sumptuous Roman apartment to Vogue , proving that his maximalist aesthetic extends to interior design.
The aesthetics of the ugly
In a 2021 interview with 60 Minutes , Michele said he was drawn to the weirder side of fashion, and working with pieces that might make a lot of people uncomfortable. Transforming what others would call ugly into something incredibly cool.
He studied Costume Design and initially envisioned a career in Hollywood
Michele said he initially studied costume design and thought that would be his career. However, when he got a job at Fendi in the 1990s, it was clear that haute couture was his destiny, and he has since embarked on a brilliant career, becoming one of the biggest names in 21st century fashion. And thanks to his highly kinetic vision, he has been able to shape contemporary fashion.
His time at Gucci brought the brand to enormous success
After years at Gucci under Tom Ford, Michele knew the brand well and had many ideas on how to renew it. During his years as creative director, he grew Gucci's annual revenue from 3.9 billion euros in 2015 to 9.7 billion in 2021, proving that not only was his eccentric vision exactly what the brand needed to continue to thrive, but that there was also a great demand from the public for a dreamy aesthetic.
