Walter Chiapponi Exits Blumarine After One Season

Walter Chiapponi has left Blumarine after just one season as creative director. A successor has not yet been named. The brand did not indicate any reason for the departure, but Chiapponi had been open about his grief throughout 2023, which he called a “horrible year” in an Instagram post in January due to the sudden deaths of his nephew, his friend Davide Renne (shortly after his appointment as Moschino creative director), and his dog.

“My thanks for this experience go first and foremost to Marco Marchi [sole director of Eccellenze Italiane Holding, parent company of Blumarine] who made it possible, but also to all those without whom I wouldn’t have been able to express myself as I did. I am especially referring to people I have loved who are no longer with us, but who continue to instil strong emotions in me, to inspire my feelings and my journey,” says Chiapponi in a statement today. “I now want to concentrate on new initiatives and projects with a social and humanitarian scope before returning at a later date, at the right time, to the catwalk.”

Chiapponi’s appointment to Blumarine in November came as a surprise for some, signalling a pivot away from the Y2K aesthetic the label had leaned into under Nicola Brognano, who revived the brand following his appointment in 2019. Chiapponi was formerly creative director at quiet luxury label Tod’s; he stepped down in July 2023 and was succeeded by Matteo Tamburini.

As anticipated, Chiapponi’s first and only collection for Blumarine was a far cry from Brognano’s aesthetic of butterfly motifs and Y2K silhouettes: for autumn/winter 2024, the brand pivoted to romantic lace brogues, sheer gowns and floral prints on dresses and silk pyjamas. Some showgoers thought the collection lacked direction, but the sense was that we’d yet to see what Chiapponi could do with the brand. “This experience will remain unique at a special moment in Blumarine’s history,” says Marchi. “I am grateful to Walter Chiapponi for pouring so much of himself into this collection. It has been an extraordinary adventure. I wish Walter all the best for the continuation of his journey.”