Moschino names former Loewe designer Adrian Appiolaza creative director

Months after the untimely passing of a former creative director that never came to be, Moschino has now announced the appointment of Adrian Appiolaza to the helm position, a role for which he will make his debut during the AW24 women’s collection.

Appiolaza’s career is already awash with a number of notable houses, including Loewe and Chloé, both at which he served as women’s ready-to-wear design director under J.W. Anderson and Clare Waight Keller, respectively.

At Moschino, however, Appiolaza will now oversee women’s, men’s and accessories collections while reporting to Massimo Ferretti, the executive chairman of the Italian brand’s parent company Aeffe S.p.A.

In a press release, Ferretti welcomed Appiolaza to the group’s family, adding: "With his arrival at Moschino, Adrian brings with him a unique wealth of experience, creativity and knowledge of the history of fashion that will be instrumental to write a wonderful new chapter in the adventure of the brand founded by Franco Moschino.”

The designer’s AW24 womenswear collection is scheduled to be showcased on February 22 at the Museo della Permanente during Milan Fashion Week.

Appiolaza to debut AW24 collection at Milan Fashion Week

The choice of location was intentional for Appiolaza’s inauguration as it once served as the host of the ‘Moschino - X anni di Kaos! 1983-1993’ exhibition, which celebrated the first decade of the brand’s founding.

Appiolaza himself shared his own statement in light of the appointment, touching on archival brand elements such as 3D postcard jackets and trompe-l’oeil as just some of the creations Moschino that have entered fashion history.

He continued: “The essence of his talent, for me, is to inhabit his time – a mission he carried out with enviable lightness, opening a window for all of us to imagine, in our own way, the future.

“I am deeply grateful to Massimo Ferretti for allowing me to access the world of Moschino, as well as entry into a house whose walls exude a history that I am eager to hear. I am ready to transport the Maison into a new chapter, with a theatrical touch, in the pure style of Moschino.”

Appiolaza’s appointment comes after Moschino had previously announced that Davide Renne was in fact to become creative director, a revelation it made early October following the departure of Jeremy Scott.

Just days later, however, it was reported that Tuscan-born Renne had passed away after a “sudden illness”.

In light of the news, Ferretti shared snippets of the “ambitious project” Renne had been working on, adding in a statement at the time: "Even though he was only with us for a very short time, Davide was able to immediately make himself loved and respected. Today we are left with the responsibility of carrying on what his imagination and creativity had only envisioned.”