The Tamesis
For Missoni veteran Alberto Caliri, who was named creative director in October 2024, it’s always been a balance between continuity and innovation. “With a unique and distinctive aesthetic code that represents the core of Missoni’s identity and the foundation of our business – expressed through eveningwear and beachwear – we aim to consolidate what works and put customers at ease, while maintaining a constant capacity to surprise and evoke new emotions,” he said. His new creative vision involves enhancing the daywear offering, a new area of growth. “Within the main collections, we focus on ensuring commercial continuity and meeting the specific needs of each market, while in the fashion shows we allow greater creative freedom and experimentation – always in the Missoni style without falling into sensationalism.” Despite market challenges, he said this approach has led to double-digit sales growth since FW25 (Caliri’s debut).
Crook said one of the biggest mistakes brands make is cutting hero products without a plan. She cited the example of Hedi Slimane’s discontinuation of the popular Tribute sandal after joining Saint Laurent. “Business was crazy, so it was like, ‘We need to bring it back because we don’t have a replacement.'” This is important: When you transition, you need time to update your core product. You can’t simply eliminate it – you can improve it based on your creative vision, but it still needs to provide the same functionality. Similarly, Crook said it would be a mistake to allow too much creative freedom at the expense of pricing structure. “If a customer comes to a certain brand, purchases a certain category at a certain price range, and the price goes up 40%, they’re not going to understand.” “
Saint Laurent Tribute sandals first appeared on the catwalk in 2004, under the creative direction of Stefano Pilati. They were launched as part of a series and quickly gained iconic status.Photo: Marcio Madera
Ultimately, it’s important to realize that marketing is just one piece of the puzzle: storytelling, pricing, marketing, customer service, and many other factors all come into play. For this reason, Hsu’s advice to sales teams in the creative transformation process is to understand what’s selling well and make sure the product and price points are aligned.
power dynamics at play
A creative director’s first few seasons are about establishing identity and influence, and marketing that’s too conservative can dilute the message before it has a chance to land. Conversely, strong sales leadership can bring discipline and consistency, but if taken too far, it risks homogeneity. Most experts agree that merchandising should not dominate among creative luxury fashion brands. A buyer for a luxury fashion company noted that when leadership appoints a creative director, it often signals a broader desire for change across the business. Salespeople who want to succeed in this environment need to be agile and not rely solely on past performance.
