Meet Alessandro Michele, Gucci's New Creative Director

Photo: Vittorio Zunino Celotto (Getty)

Could this be a new fashion messiah?

Hot on the heels of Milan Fashion Week, Gucci announced the appointment of Alessandro Michele as its new creative director, with total creative responsibility for all of the brand's collections and image -- including men's and women's wear.

SLIDESHOW: The Best of Milan Fashion Week

Michele already had a heavy hand on Gucci's fall/winter men's line, which marked a clear departure from Giannini's aesthetic, offering a more androgynous vision for the Gucci man (see the full collection here).

Michele's appointment fills in for the sudden departure of Frida Giannini, the brand's former creative director, who left Gucci right before the beginning of Milan Fashion Week.

Michele, 42, studied at Accademia di Costume e di Moda, in Rome, and worked as a senior accessories designer for Fendi prior to moving to Gucci's design office, in 2002. He was Giannini's associate since May 2011, and also assumes the creative direction of the Italian porcelain brand Richard Ginori, owned by Gucci. His first women's ready-to-wear collection for Gucci will be present on February 25.

What do you think of Michele's new vision for Gucci?

Selected looks from Gucci fall/winter 2015