Burberry Appoints Riccardo Tisci As New Creative Chief

Burberry has appointed Riccardo Tisci as its new chief creative officer. He succeeds Christopher Bailey, who announced his departure from the brand in October, after 17 years.

Tisci, who spent 12 years at Givenchy will join Burberry later this month and present his first collection for the house in September. He has been brought to the fashion house by the new chief executive, Marco Gobbetti, former president and CEO of Givenchy, who hired Tisci when he was relatively unknown. Gobbetti took over after Bailey stepped down as chief executive last July.

"Riccardo is one of the most talented designers of our time. His designs have an elegance that is contemporary and his skill in blending streetwear with high fashion is highly relevant to today's luxury consumer. Riccardo's creative vision will reinforce the ambitions we have for Burberry and position the brand firmly in luxury,” said Gobbetti in a statement.

The Italian born Tisci, graduated from Central Saint Martins in London in 1999. In September 2004, he set up an eponymous ready-to-wear label, which caught the attention of Gobbetti and who hired him to replace Julien Macdonald as creative director of Givenchy in February 2005.

During his 12-year tenure, Tisci turned Givenchy, into one of LVMH’s most powerful brands. He has created a string of iconic looks for celebrities including Beyonce and Madonna and in 2014 was chosen to design Kim Kardashian West’s wedding dress for her 2014 nuptials to Kanye West.

In a statement issued on Instagram Tisci posted, “I am honored and delighted to be joining Burberry as its new Chief Creative Officer and reuniting with Marco Gobbetti. I have an enormous respect for Burberry’s British heritage and global appeal and I am excited about the potential of this exceptional brand.”

“I want to thank #Burberry for this incredible opportunity - I am so excited to join the team and for everything we will achieve together." he added in a second post.

Burberry shares rose almost 4 per cent after the news.