Ermenegildo Zegna has confirmed that Stefano Pilati is stepping down from his role as Head of Design. Pilati has held the position for past three years, following his tenure at Yves Saint Laurent between 2004 and 2012. Stefano also previously held a concurrent lead design role at Zegna Group womenswear label Agnona, which he stepped down from in July 2015.
“I have given much consideration to this decision and after thoughtful conversations with Gildo Zegna, we have reached the conclusion that the mission he entrusted me with had been fulfilled,” Pilati said in a statement. “I now wish to focus on other projects that I had put aside in order to achieve our common goals with Zegna Couture,” he explained, adding that, “It has been an honor to work with this extraordinary family company that puts quality, craftsmanship and excellence at the center of their business. I want to thank everyone at the Zegna Group and especially Gildo Zegna who has given me outstanding support and will remain a friend and a mentor.”
Gildo Zegna, CEO of the Zegna group, commented: “I want to thank Stefano for his contribution to Ermenegildo Zegna. We wanted to develop a strong point of view in fashion as well as style, and for Zegna to be a show not to be missed in Milan. We have reached this objective faster than expected. As we move on to write new chapters in Zegna’s development, I wish Stefano well for his future endeavors”.
Pilati’s departure comes at a time of ‘fashion musical chairs’, with Raf Simons leaving Dior and Alexander Wang leaving Balenciaga last year to focus on their own labels, Alber Elbaz being removed from his role at Lanvin after disagreements with management, and, more recently, the announcements that Berluti and Brioni have parted ways with their creative directors, Alessandro Sartori and Brendan Mullane, respectively.
Credits
Text Charlotte Gush
Photography Inez van Laamswerde and Vinoodh Matadin, Styling Stefano Pilati. [The Artisan Issue, No. 290, August 2008]