Image courtesy of wallpapers.com
If you love Moschino, known for its kitschy, in-your-face outrageous fashion, you may grow to love the brand even more with its new creative director. Creative Director Adrian Appiolaza has left the Italian fashion house and has been replaced with the design duo of Loris Messina and Simone Rizzo. Rizzo and Messina were formally at the defunct Italian fashion brand Sunnei.
“In the evolution of a fashion house, the ability to balance identity and innovation is essential,” said Massimo Ferretti, executive chairman of Aefe S.p.A, Moschino’s parent company, via a press release as reported in dailyfrontrow.com. “Loris Messina and Simone Rizzo possess the qualities required to embrace this challenge: a contemporary creative vision, a deep cultural sensibility and the ability to develop relevant and distinctive creative languages. We are confident that their contribution will further strengthen Moschino and support its growth in the years ahead.”
In recent years Moschino has struggled to establish profitability, laying off over 200 employees in 2025. In May of 2026 Moschino had to admit to its shareholders that the brand had become financially insolvent.
Similarly, the fashion duo of Messina and Rizzo attempted to scale up business at Sunnei after a Vanguard 6-million-euro investment in the brand in 2020. This infusion of money in 2020 did not work.
“We have always admired Franco Moschino’s ability to challenge conventions through creativity while maintaining a clear and consistent voice,” said the designers. “It is a rare quality. Moschino has always embodied this attitude as a cultural house driven by a strong, recognizable and radical point of view, using pop culture as a critical tool rather than merely an aesthetic language. Taking on the Creative Direction of the House means embracing this legacy and projecting it into the present, reinforcing its relevance and its ability to shape the contemporary cultural imagination.”
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Controversy accompanies Louis Vuitton’s men’s spring 2027 collection
Pharrell Williams, creative director of Louis Vuitton men, chose to present the brand’s spring 2027 collection with an artificial waterfall as Paris faced one of the highest temperatures in history. The eight-metre-high water feature, set against a sand-covered runway, formed the backdrop for musician and songwriter Pharrell Williams‘ spring 2027 menswear collection.
The collection was installed outside of the Cité Universitaire, a vast residential complex housing 12,000 students annually. Residents and local politicians criticized Pharrell and Louis Vuitton for using a public venue for high fashion when the temperatures in Paris rose over 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit).
“The water used to create the wave comes entirely from Paris’ water supply, which was pumped to the site and then entirely redirected back into Paris’ sewer system via a closed-loop system,” the spokesperson told Reuters.” “I understand the public’s reaction to poorly explained [privatizations,] with restrictions on access and, in the midst of a heatwave, a display that sends a very unfortunate message, explained Melody Tonolli, Paris deputy mayor for student living conditions.
LVMH stated that the six-week installation was agreed in consultation with its host. Jerome Duplan, communications director of the Cité Universitaire, noted Louis Vuitton’s sponsorship helped fund the structure, as the complex faces financial pressures from declining public funding and rising costs. Still, locale residents complained that because the LVMH installation caused them to have to alter their daily routines while certain facilities remained inaccessible all while paying rent.
“When you see where we live and how we live and what Louis Vuitton has just made, it is a complete paradox.,” commented student Emma Keller.
Image courtesy of dailyfrontrow.com
Au revoir Julien
Julien Dossena leaves Rabanne after 13 years. It is an open secret that Olivier Rousteing, who left Balmain in 2025, will assume the creative direction of Rabanne after Dossena’s departure.
“Julien Dossena has profoundly shaped a new era for Rabanne, bringing renewed energy and modernity to its avant-garde heritage through a singular and globally resonant vision. All of us at Rabanne and Puig would like to warmly thank Julien for his exceptional creative direction and for the remarkable chapter he has written in the history of the Maison,” said Ana Trias, president of prestige and fashion brands at Rabanne parent company Puig, via a release, as reported in the dailyfrontrow.com.
“I would like to thank the Puig family and Group for their trust and for supporting my vision over thirteen years,” said Dossena in the same release. “I’m equally grateful to my teams, ateliers, and collaborators, whose craft and commitment made the work possible. This defining creative chapter at the helm of Rabanne will always have a significant resonance to me, both professionally and personally.”
Puig, which is the holding company for Rabanne, has stated that Dossena’s successor “will be announced in due time.”
William S. Gooch
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