Ralph Rucci exits eponymous fashion house

American fashion designer Ralph Rucci has left the fashion house he founded in 1994. Rucci is leaving 'to pursue other creative endeavors', the company said in a statement. It is not yet known what these are.

Rucci, who studied under and worked for Halston before establishing his own label, struggled to grow his business, despite the critical acclaim he garnered for his collections. In fact, he was the only American designer besides Mainbocher to become a member of the Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture, allowing him to show his couture collections in Paris. He presented his first collection in Paris in 2002, but only participated for a few seasons.

According to WWD, Rucci tried to expand his business several times, but often met with financial difficulties, forcing him to make staff cuts. In 2012, Nancy and Howard Marks provided a capital injection and became the company's first chairman and board member. Joey Laurenti joined the label as CEO in May of this year.

Although there is no concrete evidence, WWD speculates that Rucci's departure may have been the result of a clash of visions for the company. Nancy Marks has said in the past that the intention was to turn Rucci 'into an accessible, modern, American fashion brand'. This would not have gone down well with Rucci, who was known for adhering to a luxurious and refined design aesthetic. He is said to have been unwilling to compromise on this.

Neither party offered any details on the parting. Rucci only said that he was excited for the future and that he wished 'everyone at the company well'. Laurenti made a similar statement.

The company said it would name a new creative director before the year's end. Meanwhile, the coming pre-fall and fall collections will be designed by the in-house team.