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LONDON, United Kingdom — Berluti has appointed Haider Ackermann as its new creative director. Ackermann's first collection for the Paris-based menswear brand will be Autumn/Winter 2017, presented during men's fashion week in Paris in January.
The Colombian designer succeeds Alessandro Sartori, Berluti's previous creative director for five years, who rejoined Ermenegildo Zegna as artistic director in February, having previously worked as head of its Z Zegna brand.
Ackermann studied at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp and launched his eponymous label in 2003, which is today distributed through wholesale and online retailers.
His layered, draped designs, which draw on diverse global cultures as inspiration, have earned him fans including Tilda Swinton and Kanye West — and a reputation for modern, casual dressing which Berluti is hoping to tap.
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Berluti was founded in 1895 as a luxury shoemaker and was acquired by LVMH in 1993. The brand launched leather goods in 2005, followed by ready-to-wear in 2011, with collections spanning from bespoke tailoring, to more casual bomber jackets and sneakers.
Berluti has rolled out more than 50 stores to tap strong demand for luxury menswear in markets such as China. However, faced with the overall slowdown in the luxury market and waning demand among Chinese men in the last two years, the business is estimated to incur around €50 million in losses on a turnover of about €150 million ($166.68 million), according to Reuters. In July, Reuters reported that Berluti's losses narrowed in the first half of 2016.
Disclosure: LVMH is part of a group of investors who, together, hold a minority interest in The Business of Fashion.
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