La Perla Atelier names Alessio Vannetti as new CEO

Luxury lingerie brand La Perla Atelier has appointed former Gucci and Valentino executive Alessio Vannetti as its new chief executive, as part of the brand’s ongoing relaunch strategy under new owners Kristen and Peter Kern.

In a statement, La Perla said that Vannetti will join the company on September 1, while Paolo Vannucchi, who has served as chief executive officer since the reopening of the Bologna Atelier last December, will take on a strategic advisory role “to ensure an orderly transition through the end of the current financial year”.

Kirsten and Peter Kern, principal shareholders of La Perla Atelier, said: "We first met Alessio earlier this year, and from those early conversations it became clear that his understanding of what La Perla is, and what it is capable of becoming, was both precise and expansive.

“Our ambition is to see La Perla reclaim its position at the pinnacle of the lingerie category, and as an important and unique presence in luxury at large. Alessio has spent his career at some of the most important Italian brands focused on the intersection of craftsmanship, brand equity and commercial performance, and that is exactly the leadership this next phase requires.”

The new owners also thanked Vannucchi for his commitment during the acquisition process and the reopening of the atelier, stating he played “a key role in restoring operational continuity following the acquisition”.

La Perla Atelier appoints former Gucci and Valentino executive as CEO

Vannetti has more than two decades at the helm of some of the most prestigious luxury fashion houses, including holding senior roles at Prada and Zegna, before joining Gucci’s leadership team under Marco Bizzarri and Alessandro Michele in 2015. He left Gucci in 2020 to join Valentino as executive vice president, chief brand officer and member of the executive committee, working with then-creative director Pierpaolo Piccioli. He exited after three years to return to Gucci in the same role, serving until the end of 2024.

Most recently, he served as strategic adviser to Etnia Eyewear Culture, a Barcelona-based eyewear brand, and at Allemandi/Intesa Sanpaolo, where he contributed to redesigning the editorial and commercial model of Italy’s leading art publication, Il Giornale dell’Arte.

Commenting on his new role, Vannetti said: "La Perla is a unicum; a unique brand carrying genuine, irreplaceable equity, rooted in a factory, a craft, and a cultural authority that cannot be manufactured from scratch. From September, my focus will be on converting that heritage into consistent, contemporary performance."

Kirsten and Peter Kern added: “With Alessio leading the business, together with the exceptional teams in Bologna and across the company, we are confident in the future of La Perla and in the next chapter we are building together."

The Kerns, through Luxury Holdings LLC, acquired La Perla’s brand and production site in Bologna, Italy, in September 2025, saving more than 200 jobs following the collapse of the brand. The brand has celebrated femininity and Italian craftsmanship for more than 70 years and is “entering a new chapter” under the Kerns by building on its unique heritage while embracing a contemporary vision of the brand.