Sergio Rossi names new creative director

Sergio Rossi has named Paul Andrew as its new creative director, according to a Wednesday press release from parent company Lanvin Group.

Andrew was previously creative director at Salvatore Ferragamo, where he began in 2016 as design director for women’s shoes, per the release. He was promoted to the top design role in 2019, becoming the first person to hold the creative director position since Ferragamo himself helmed the brand. Andrew left in 2021 and has since been focused on his namesake brand, which originally launched in 2013.

“With his creative design expertise and forward-thinking approach, Paul is set to lead Sergio Rossi into a new era of success,” Lanvin Group CEO Eric Chan said in the release. “This new direction for the brand aligns seamlessly with our mission to uphold its rich heritage while catering to the evolving tastes of our clientele.”

Prior to his work at Ferragamo, Andrew designed with Donna Karan, Calvin Klein, Narciso Rodriguez and Alexander McQueen, per the release. In 2014, he won the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund, and in 2016, he won both the CFDA Swarovski Award for Accessory Design and the ACE Award for Launch of the Year for his men’s collection.

“Andrew’s work is at once daring and pragmatic, balancing handmade craftsmanship with the latest material and technological innovations,” Lanvin Group said in the release. “His passionate work ethic, dedication to brand building and entrepreneurialism have earned him critical praise and commercial respect internationally.”

Previous design directors at Sergio Rossi include Angelo Ruggeri, who joined the company in 2013, succeeding Francesco Russo, who took on the role in 2008. Edmundo Castillo was the first creative after Rossi himself, and took on the role in 2004.

The Sergio Rossi brand has been through several changes.

Kering sold the brand to Investindustrial in 2015. In 2021, Fosun Group bought the brand from Investindustrial. That year, Fosun rebranded itself as Lanvin Group, and the company now owns French fashion house Lanvin, which it purchased in 2018, Sergio Rossi, St. John Knits and Caruso.

Andrew said in the release that he was honored to join the brand and called it “a world-renowned house of shoemaking whose roots and legacy speak to the lasting power of Italian savoir-faire.”

“I look forward to building upon Sergio’s own unique spirit of innovation and high craft as we propose a bright new vision for the brand today,” Andrew said.

In June, Peter Copping was named creative director of the Lanvin fashion house, becoming the first person to take on the role since the April 2023 departure of Bruno Sialelli.

Lanvin Group reported a 1% revenue increase in fiscal 2023 in its February earnings release.