EXCLUSIVE: Emilio Pucci Has a New CEO
Belgian fashion executive Saar Debrouwere is the new chief executive officer of Emilio Pucci, WWD has learned.
She is expected to take the management helm in July as the Florentine brand shifts to a see now, buy now presentation model, and frequent product drops.
More from WWD
In an internal announcement seen by WWD, Pucci parent LVMH Mo?t Hennessy Louis Vuitton said Debrouwere would be charged with “accelerating Pucci’s development by combining its lifestyle and resort origins with the creative modernity brought by Camille Miceli, the new artistic director, whose first designs were a great success.”
Pivoting away from fashion weeks, Miceli unveiled her first designs for Pucci over a fun-packed weekend of lunches, yoga classes and partying last April in Capri, the jet-set island where founder Emilio Pucci opened his initial boutique in 1951. Miceli’s scarf-like tops, caftans, leggings, straw bags and platform shoes were immediately available for purchase in Pucci boutiques, at pucci.com and with its exclusive retail partner Mytheresa.
According to Sidney Toledano, chairman and CEO of LVMH Fashion Group and a member of the LVMH executive committee, Debrouwere’s “international experience in the product departments of various maisons has ideally prepared her to assume this responsibility. Her energy, rigour and enthusiasm will be key assets in leading the entire team to success in this new adventure.”
For her part, Miceli said, “I am convinced that we will do great things together and make Pucci a success.”
Debrouwere joins the Italian brand from Shanghai-based fashion house Icicle, where she has been executive vice president, design and product, since 2020.
She is perhaps best known for her eight-year stint at Swedish fashion house Acne Studios, which she joined in 2012 as ready-to-wear director, studio and product, ultimately becoming chief product officer in 2014.
Giovanni Giannoni/WWD
A graduate of the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Ghent, where she received a master’s degree in contemporary art and photography, Debrouwere started her career as a project manager at Ad!dict Creative Lab, a management consultancy specialized in customer experience. She would later join fashion brand A.F. Vandevorst in sales roles, and would be recruited in 2009 by Raf Simons as his collection director.
Considered one of Italy’s fashion pioneers, Emilio Pucci began designing skiwear out of jersey fabrics in 1947 and opened his house in 1949. His colorful, graphic motifs quickly became a signature of the house, and strongly associated with summer getaways, too.
Controlled by LVMH since 2000, Pucci has experimented with a variety of designers over the years, including Julio Espada, Christian Lacroix, Matthew Williamson, Peter Dundas and MSGM’s Massimo Giorgetti; as well as studio configurations; guest designers, and even a surprise collaboration with buzzy skate brand Supreme.
The brand shuttered its boutiques in big metropolitan cities and is concentrating on such resort locations as Miami, Palm Beach, Fla., Saint-Tropez and Portofino, Italy. It produces rtw, beachwear, accessories, childrenswear and eyewear collections.
SEE ALSO:
Pucci’s Camille Miceli Emphasizes Joyful, Inclusive Side of Brand
Emilio Pucci to Reboot as Resort-focused Brand
All the Items from the Supreme/Emilio Pucci Capsule Collection
Sign up for WWD's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.