Berluti ends speculation by naming Haider Ackermann creative director

LVMH menswear brand’s choice of Belgian a surprise given he built his namesake label’s reputation on women’s fashion and waited a decade before launching his first collection for men

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Published: 4:07pm, 2 Sep 2016Updated: 5:36pm, 13 Sep 2016

Earlier this year the world of menswear was shaken up when Italian tailoring brand Brioni appointed retail guru Justin O’Shea as its creative director. Now menswear house Berluti has confirmed Belgian designer Haider Ackermann will become its creative director, ending two months of speculation he would be appointed to the role.

Berluti started out as a luxury shoemaker in 1895 and was acquired by luxury conglomerate LVMH in 1993. In 2010, Antoine Arnault, son of owner Bernard Arnault, joined as CEO with a vision of transforming Berluti from a shoemaker into a luxury menswear brand along the lines of Tom Ford and Brioni.

The brand unveiled its first ready-to-wear collection in 2011 under the creative direction of Italian designer Alessandro Sartori. Sartori stepped down earlier this year to pursue other opportunities at Ermenegildo Zegna, but during his tenure at Berluti, annual revenue grew to more than €100 million (HK$865 million). Today Berluti has 45 stores worldwide.

A look from Berluti's spring-summer 2017 collection.

Ackermann’s appointment came as a surprise to industry insiders because he is better known as a designer of women’s fashion. The emotionally charged collections he produced for his own-name label have garnered celebrity fans including actress Tilda Swinton.