It was one and done for Walter Chiapponi at Blumarine, as the Italian label has just announced his departure after a single season. In a statement released this morning, Marco Marchi, head of Blumarine parent company Eccellenze Italiane Holding, thanked Chiapponi for his “vision and commitment” in the role, one he was only appointed to last November.
“This was for me a sort of return to the future to which I dedicated all my love and my creative passion,” Chiapponi said in a statement in WWD. “In this path my gratitude goes first and foremost to Marco Marchi, who made it possible, but also to all those without whom I wouldn’t have been able to express myself as I did. I am especially referring to people I have loved and who are no longer with us, but who continue to instill strong emotions in me, to inspire my feelings and my journey. I now want to concentrate on new initiatives and projects with a social and humanitarian scope before returning at a later date, at the right time, to the catwalk.”
Previously creative director at Tod’s, Chiapponi debuted his first collection for Blumarine at MFW on February 23, after taking over from predecessor Nicola Brognano. Beginning his tenure in 2020, Brognano was credited with resurrecting the label for a Gen Z audience, splashing studs on denim crucifixes and wrapping models in sateen for a Y2K renaissance. The designer’s revival – buoyed by the handiwork of stylist Lotta Volkova – was an aesthetic success, but while the approach went down well online, it (reportedly) did not with the label’s more conservative customers, and he was moved on after 4 years. Chiapponi’s AW24 collection gently laid Brognano’s Y2K-era to rest, opting for a softer and more pared back approach to Italian style.
Specific reasons for Chiapponi’s departure still remain unknown, however 2023 marked a year of tragic losses for the designer. As the new year began, Chiapponi paid tribute to his 14-year-old nephew Noah, and “my best friend, my brother, my everything” Davide Renne, who both passed away in 2023. As Chiapponi emerged for the final bow at his only Blumarine show, he also wore a shirt with the word ‘Davide’ in pink crystals on its back, another tribute to the late Moschino designer.
Of Chiapponi’s short time at the house, Marchi remarked that, “this is an experience that will remain singular at a special moment in Blumarine’s history. I am grateful to Walter Chiapponi for pouring so much of himself in this collection. It has been an extraordinary adventure and I wish Walter all the best for the continuation of his journey.”