Massimiliano Giornetti - Former Creative Director of Salvatore Ferragamo - begins a new chapter as he leaves the brandLuxury fashion house Salvatore Ferragamo announced that the brands creative director, Massimiliano Giornetti is leaving. In fact it seems Giornetti has already left the building as the Italian house said the collection shown two weeks ago in Milan would be his last. 
Salvatore Ferragamo Fall 2016 - Slip dresses are a favorite silhouette of designer Massimiliano Giornetti.
Giornetti leaves Ferragamo with an incredible body of work behind him, as his runway designs were crucial in the brands repositioning itself from a global classic, to a true fashion runway collection. While millions of women around the world have bought Ferragamo shoes for years, Giornetti's RTW designs saw the likes of Lady Gaga, Beyonce, Demi Moore, and other leading ladies of music and film looking sexy and modern as they accessorized with the brand.
Ferragamo Resort 12 Collection - staged at the Louvre Museum in Paris His strength was making you focus on the craftmanship and artisan details the house had mastered for decades with shoes and handbags, but blowing it up for the drama of the runway. His Resort collection shows were "Ultra-Luxe" showcases of this craftmanship - taking place at equally luxurious locations like the famous Duke Mansion on New York's Upper East Side, and the Louvre Museum in Paris.
So as Ferragamo "the house" celebrated 100 years since founder Salvatore started making shoes by hand in Los Angeles last Fall, Giornetti was turning out press collections to catch the attention of editors and bloggers around the world. Having worked with the company since 2000, Giornetti stands with a select few designers of his generation with a tenure as long, or significant with one luxury brand. First serving as menswear designer, and then in 2011 taking the helm as Creative Director of the entire brand, Giornetti lived and breathed the Ferragamo ideal. More than one editor remarked after his collection debut of Women's runway in 2011 - "Now that's what Ferragamo should look like". 
Ferragamo Resort 13 - The Red Carpet Collection staged at the Doris Duke mansion in NYC, a show that lit the spark for Ferragamo's new direction
This iconic house is in a strong position as it relies on the design teams to take the lead with Giornetti's departure. This is not like Gucci finding it's way after Tom Ford left the company. Ford had introduced RTW to Gucci, while Giornetti had given an existing collection a new direction. It would be hard to think of another fashion house that was more stable, than this majority family owned, and family operated legacy brand. With over 650 boutiques globally, the company has built an empire over decades that keeps Salvatore's design aesthetic constant.
What's next for Giornetti? We shall all see. With more than half a dozen major houses playing musical chairs, you never know until the music stops! Who's next at Ferragamo? Also interesting to wait and see. Edgardo Osorio of Aquazzura fame? As the fashion world turns...