Alberta Ferretti names Lorenzo Serafini Chief Executive Officer

MILAN – The Aeffe Group on Tuesday said it is promoting Lorenzo Serafini to creative director of the Alberta Ferretti brand.

He succeeds the brand’s founder, who revealed his departure last month. His first collection for the brand will bow in February. The meeting confirms WWD’s report on Ferretti’s exit.

The team rewards Serafini, who joined the team in 2014, when Ferretti gave him the design direction of the Philosophy label.

“I am delighted to announce that Lorenzo will be my successor at the helm of my brand,” said Ferretti, Aeffe’s vice president. “As the world of fashion continues to change dramatically, I firmly believe that Lorenzo has the creativity, passion, expertise and experience needed to meet this challenge.”

As part of a new strategy, “defining the needs of the market,” the philosophy of the Lorenzo Serafini brand will be combined with the Alberta Ferretti line from the autumn of 2025, “with the aim of strengthening the appeal of the brand and the position of the future,” the group said.

The news helped lift shares in Aeffe Milan where the group is publicly listed, as they were up 3.34 percent to 86 cents in late trading.

“Ten years ago, I gave Lorenzo the Philosophy line, which he succeeded in becoming a successful brand. Now it is time for him to write a new chapter for the Alberta Ferretti brand, whose essence who fits his vision perfectly. Feminism, femininity are words that are already in Lorenzo’s vocabulary, and words that he will be able to express in an amazing way in Alberta’s world. Ferretti,” concluded Ferretti.

In fact, Serafini last month presented a collection that was on the horizon for Ferretti, showing a very feminine and romantic style, using featherweight jersey, frothy lace and other airy fabrics to create loose clothing around the body.

“With enthusiasm and deep gratitude, I accept this opportunity that the Ferretti family has given me,” said Serafini. “I am honored that Alberta has chosen me to be the successor to such an important and prestigious legacy, and I will carry it forward diligently as I begin a new chapter of the Alberta Ferretti brand.”

Massimo Ferretti, the executive chairman of the Aeffe Group, said that, after his brother’s decision to resign, “we immediately discussed the future of the brand and agreed that Lorenzo is the right person to take on this challenge. His brilliance, his vision, his knowledge of the sector and our company’s knowledge will help guide the next step of the brand’s development.

Serafini joined Aeffe, who also manages the brands Moschino and Pollini, from Dolce & Gabbana, where he was the designer of women’s clothing, after the experience of the same role at Roberto Cavalli. He succeeded Natalie Ratabesi at Aeffe. When Ratabesi joined the brand in 2012, it marked the first time that Alberta Ferretti handed over the entire direction of Philosophy to another designer, who created the label voluntarily to distinguish it from the signature collection. Philosophy was founded in 1984.

Alberta Ferretti has carved a very specific image, catering to a female customer who is at the same time independent and confident, a working woman who needs to feel comfortable and at ease in her own skin, she has said usually. At the same time, the designer has been called the queen of chiffon, because of her talent to create romantic dresses, evening dresses and slipdresses with that material.

Market sources believe that further changes could be in Aeffe’s favor as the company issued a statement last month saying that, following Ferretti’s decision, Aeffe “will continue with a careful and thorough review of the activities and the functions of the different departments to reorganize its human resources to ensure greater efficiency.