MILAN — After the designers were spotted at the Moschino headquarters, the Italian brand confirmed on Sunday that Loris Messina and Simone Rizzo are its new creative directors, effective immediately.

They succeed Adrian Appiolaza, who parted ways with Moschino last Friday after two years, as reported.

Messina and Rizzo’s first collection for Moschino will bow in September during Milan Fashion Week. 

“In the evolution of a fashion house, the ability to balance identity and innovation is essential,” stated Massimo Ferretti, executive chairman of parent Aeffe S.p.A. The designers, he continued, “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 September last year, Messina and Rizzo exited Sunnei, the brand they founded in 2014.

“We have always admired Franco Moschino’s ability to challenge conventions through creativity while maintaining a clear and consistent voice,” they stated jointly. “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 this role “means embracing this legacy and projecting it into the present, reinforcing its relevance and its ability to shape the contemporary cultural imagination,” they remarked. 

Sunnei emerged on the international scene with unexpected and inventive show concepts, and the designers share with Franco Moschino a tongue-in-cheek attitude to fashion, peppering their collections with fashion commentary. They infused Sunnei with their signature retro-athletic vibe denim, striped T-shirts, striking prints and cocooning and maximized silhouettes.

One example of a surprising fashion show led to interaction with guests presenting the spring 2024 collection in Milan, when staff members handed envelopes to attendees seated in the two grandstands facing a minimal black set. Each envelope included three score paddles, which the audience was invited to use every time a model stepped on the podium in front of them.

The Moschino appointment signals a positive note as Aeffe faces a potential change of ownership.

As reported last month, the Italian fashion group, also parent of Alberta Ferretti and Pollini and listed on the Euronext Milan market of Borsa Italiana, has received an offer from Oxy Capital Srl that would allow a corporate turnaround. Aeffe is in the midst of a corporate restructuring within a negotiated composition of the business crisis.