PARIS — Fursac creative director Gauthier Borsarello is exiting the menswear label after three years at the helm, revealing his departure Friday night in a post on Instagram.

“It has been a meaningful chapter, both creatively and professionally. I am grateful for the trust, the exchanges, and the freedom to contribute to the evolution of the brand,” he wrote, thanking the studio, design, image and communications teams for helping bring Fursac onto the official Paris Fashion Week calendar after just one season, culminating in the brand’s runway outing during Paris Men’s Fashion Week in January 2025.

“Thank you for the experience, the perspective and the relationships built along the way. I will carry them with me as I move forward,” he concluded.

Borsarello joined Fursac in 2021, two years after the brand was acquired by SMCP. Under his direction the house entered the official calendar through a presentations format and went on to stage its first runway show last January for fall 2025 — a collection WWD described as evoking early-1980s Paris with a “fresh and spirited” retro flair.

Still, the critical success didn’t necessarily translate to sales. Fursac’s sales slipped 3 percent in the third quarter, according to SMCP’s most recent round of results on Oct. 23.

His departure comes as SMCP, the French group that is also parent of women’s labels Sandro, Maje and Claudie Pierlot, is preparing for a potential sale. On Nov. 27 the company revealed the sale process had been initiated following the return of shares tied to a long-running legal dispute involving former owner Shandong Ruyi and its subsidiary European TopSoho.

More than half of SMCP’s share capital is now effectively up for grabs, and any buyer crossing the 30 percent threshold could be required to launch a public tender offer for the remainder.

SMCP has said it welcomes the process, arguing that a new shareholder structure could help reset the group as it pursues its long-term strategy.