ADVERTISEMENTFitting with the current climate of constantly changing designers, fairly unknown Central Saint Martins graduate Paul Surridge was yesterday announced as the new creative director of Roberto Cavalli. He will have creative control of all aspects of the Cavalli brand, and will reveal his first womenswear collection at Milan Fashion Week in September. Cavalli is an Italian fashion house which presented its first collection in 1972. It is known for glamour, high-drama, and luxurious materials in all aspects of its designs. Paul Surridge does not seem an obvious first choice, dressing himself in laid-back, plain clothes. Perhaps it is this very combination that is so exciting.
Delighted to announce Paul Surridge as new Creative Director. #RobertoCavalli #PaulSurridge
A post shared by Roberto Cavalli Official (@roberto_cavalli) on May 10, 2017 at 3:16am PDT
His career history…
This is not his first high-fashion role. Since graduating in the 1990s, he has worked for Calvin Klein, Burberry, Jil Sander, luxury men’s tailor Zegna and more recently, has been a menswear consultant for the Swedish brand Acne Studios.
His role in the industry…
Surridge has had a hidden role in the fashion industry, evidenced by his 1500 followers on Instagram, and lack of flashy fashion photographs. Instead, his social media is full of expertly taken pictures of landscapes and art, with the odd snapshot of a collection he designed hinting to his career.
A post shared by Paul Surridge (@paul_surridge) on Jan 21, 2017 at 7:29am PST
Can he do Cavalli glamour?
His work history has nearly 20 years of experience, mostly in menswear, with a range of brands that are all dramatically different from the opulent Italian brand. Addressing this issue in a press release Surridge said: “this is a unique opportunity to contribute a new chapter to the Roberto Cavalli universe, which positively celebrates the beauty, sensuality and power of women.”
His appointment is not the only change in the company…
Cavalli made the announcement six months after the official resignation of Peter Dundas, who only produced three collections for the brand. The announcement comes alongside a reshuffling of the brand after revenues plunged last year.
