Nino Cerruti - New Designers and Retirement

New Designers and Retirement

In 1964-1970 already, Giorgio Armani - who was to found his own eponymous fashion empire in 1974 - had worked for Cerruti at Hitman, under the direction of Mr. Cerruti.

Nino Cerruti named Narciso Rodriguez, a former Anne Klein, Calvin Klein and TSE designer, creative director of Cerruti in 1996 but replaced him with Peter Speliopoulos, a Donna Karan designer, already in 1997.

In October 2000, in an effort to secure global expansion, Nino Cerruti sold 51% of his company to Fin.Part, an Italian industrial group, that would less than a year later buy the rest of the company and force Mr. Cerruti out after irreconcilable differences at age 71. "There was a perpetual conflict of interest", Cerruti said later. Hence, the Spring Summer 2002 collection marked the end of Cerruti being designed by Nino Cerruti.

In autumn 2001, Fin.Part installed Italian Roberto Menichetti, responsible for the creative revival of Burberry before that, as Creative Director who left the house after only one season. Menichetti was succeedded by Istvan Francer, a former Donna Karan designer, who stayed on for two seasons.

In spring 2003, David Cardona, who had worked for Richard Tyler and Chrome Hearts, replaced Istvan Francer as creative director at Cerruti. Scotsman Adrian Smith was appointed head of the menswear collections.

By 2004, the company was in a deep crisis and restructuring plans proved unsuccessful. Fin.part declared bankruptcy in 2005. Consequently, Cerruti was put in pawn.

In August 2006, after an unsuccessful takeover attempt by another Italian menswear manufacturer - Manifattura Paolini - in 2005, Cerruti finally was sold to United States private equity firm MatlinPatterson. MatlinPatterson intends to revitalize the Cerruti brand. Nicolas Andreas Taralis, a former designer with Dior Homme who also owns his signature fashion label, was appointed creative director in summer 2006.

In October 2007, Taralis was replaced by Belgian Jean Paul Knott, a former Krizia, Yves Saint Laurent and Louis Féraud designer who also owns his own eponymous fashion label. Knott had originally been hired by Taralis to oversee the label's diffusion line Cerruti 1881 in March 2007.

Since 2000 Mr. Cerruti himself has concentrated on the family-owned textile mill business (Lanificio Fratelli Cerruti) in Biella since his departure. He did not cut all ties with the fashion house Cerruti though and is invited to the fashion shows which he attends at the front row.

In 2004, Lanificio F.lli Cerruti bought the Italian furniture design company Baleri.

• Logo Lanificio Fratelli Cerruti

• Factory of Lanificio Fratelli Cerruti in Biella, Italy

• Logo Baleri Italia