Blumarine Says Goodbye To Nicola Brognano

Fashion is nothing if not a fast industry. After all, each new season brings new ideas, and more often these days new creative directors. That’s certainly looking to be the case with Blumarine who just announced that Nicola Brognano would be stepping down as creative director after four years. While a replacement is still up in the air, the shakeup is a prime opportunity for Blumarine to break from fashion’s growing problem of only hiring white males as creative directors.

‘Working as Blumarine’s creative director, a brand I have always followed with keen interest, has been profoundly enriching on a professional, creative and personal level. Shining the spotlight once again on the brand has been a unique and thrilling,' explains Brognano.

His tenure at Blumarine, defined by his nostalgic Y2K party-girl aesthetic, was a Gen-Z favourite with viral runway moments and campaigns by artist Petra Collins. Founded by Anna Molinari and her partner Gianpaolo Tarabini in 1977, the Italian brand has always been known for its unapologetic take on femininity. Brognano tapped into Gen-Z's nostalgic fascination with the unapologetic hyperfemininity of it-girls like Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie.

Earlier this week the appointment of Davide Renne at Moschino sparked online debate about the lack of diversity in creative directors across the industry. That news followed the announcement that Irish designer Seán McGirr would be replacing Sarah Burton as Alexander McQueen’s creative director after her almost three decades at the brand. As one of the only female creative directors at a top brand, McGirr's appointment went viral for all the wrong reasons when 1Granary called out the hegemonic reality of Kering's creative directors in an Instagram post.

‘Nicola has successfully interpreted Blumarine’s DNA, presenting it in an original and contemporary key and thus reviving sector and customer interest in the brand’, explains Marco Marchi, founder of parent brand Eccellenze Italiane.

With no hints as to why the collaboration has come to an end, we can only guess what direction the brand is looking to go in moving forward. As a brand co-founded by a woman that celebrates femininity, here's hoping Blumarine looks to a female perspective to shape their future.