TheChek News Flow

LONDON – Alexander McQueen has a new chief executive officer, Gianfilippo Testa. He’ll succeed Emmanuel Gintzburger who is leaving the group to become CEO of Versace, according to industry sources.

Kering said Monday that Testa will take up his role in May, and report to François-Henri Pinault.

Testa is an Italian national who began his career at TAG Heuer in 2002, and went on to hold a range of roles at LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton, specifically at Fendi in Italy, Japan, and Hong Kong.

He joined Kering in 2016 as Gucci president Greater China and since 2019, he has been president of EMEA and VP Global Retail at Gucci. Kering said that Testa’s mission at McQueen will be to “accelerate the expansion of the British luxury house to tap its full potential.”

Kering said that Gintzburger decided to leave McQueen to pursue “new professional challenges outside Kering.”

“I am grateful to François-Henri Pinault and Kering for their support and trust over the past twelve years,” said Gintzburger. “I thank Sarah Burton (McQueen’s creative director) and her incredible creative vision. I will always keep this extraordinary house and its team in my heart.”

According to sources, Gintzburger will take up the role at Versace left empty by Jonathan Akeroyd, the new CEO of Burberry.

Spokespeople for Alexander McQueen and Versace could not be reached for comment at press time, but an announcement of Gintzburger’s appointment could come shortly.

Gintzburger would be the second McQueen veteran to take on the CEO role at Versace.

Akeroyd helmed McQueen for 12 years, guiding the company through a roller coaster of highs and lows, and most importantly shepherding it through the suicide of Lee Alexander McQueen in 2010.

During his tenure at McQueen, Gintzburger oversaw an aggressive retail expansion plan, traveling the world to open stores with a new interiors concept designed by Burton.

He set an ambitious strategy aiming to double the retail network to more than 130 units in the medium term.

Last year, the McQueen CEO said that opening stores during the COVID-19 lockdowns was a must for the brand.

“With the world going into lockdown and travel being restricted, we felt it was important to continue our retail opening strategy,” he said. “And we had already planned an important expansion of our retail network in most of the key cities worldwide where we a have a strong potential to recruit local, or regional, clientele.”

He said that opening stores was “a way for us to connect with our local communities in their own cities and countries. Of course, we placed a significant emphasis on digital storytelling, but people also need a sense of community, calm and purpose. The physical experience in the store can definitely bring positive emotions,” he said.

As reported, Burton took charge of the concept herself, designing the stores in collaboration with the architect Smiljan Radić, and giving them the clutter-free feel of an art gallery, with high ceilings and dramatic, arty fixtures.