What will Moschino look like after Jeremy Scott?

A saccharine pink collaboration with Barbie, an ode to McDonald's, and a catwalk consisting entirely of puppet models and attendees in a Covid-era show in September 2020 – Jeremy Scott’s reign at Moschino hasn’t been one for wilting wallflowers.

But the Italian luxury label and Scott parted ways this week, ten years after he first took over as creative director. Scott declared in an Instagram post that he'd “had a blast creating designs that will live on forever” – and the industry has certainly had a blast watching his ironic take on fashion, season after season.

September’s spring/summer 23 collection at Milan Fashion Week saw models taking to the runway clad in colourful, inflatable swimming rings, and dresses with inflatable hems, necklines and sleeves, and deckchair inspired stripes. “You have to have space for joy,” Scott explained.

Moschino SS23

While the AW23 collection, shown in Milan this February, took a more dramatic and less playful turn, with models clad in punk-inspired dark Mohawk hairstyles (main image above). The collection was inspired by surrealist artist Salvadore Dalí’s famous melting clocks, and featured wavy, meandering hemlines and houndstooth patterns seemingly melting into the garments.

Scott was the perfect candidate to continue the tongue-in-cheek aesthetic established by brand founder Franco Moschino upon its launch in 1983. He took up the role as a recent graduate of the Fashion Design course at Pratt Institute in New York. Massimo Ferretti, executive chairman of Moschino parent company Aeffe Group called Scott a “creative force” in a statement following the news of his departure and thanked him for his ten year commitment to “legacy, and for ushering in a distinct and joyful vision that will forever be a part of Moschino history.”

Alongside Moschino, Fashion brands Alberta Ferretti and Philosophy, and footwear brand Pollini make up the Aeffe Group. In the year to 31 December 2022, the group reported a loss of €9m (£7.9m), compared with a profit of €12m (£10.5m) in 2021, despite sales in the period climbing by 8.4% at current exchange rates to €352m (£309m). It largely attributed the loss to Covid restrictions in China impacting demand. Within the time period, the group invested in retail operations for Moschino in China by opening 23 boutiques to expand its presence in the region.

Moschino AW14

Though Aeffe is continuing to refresh its strategy for Moschino, headhunter Paul Meechan tells Drapers that the loss may have been a factor in Scott’s departure:

“Ten years at the helm of this brand is something of a feat in itself. The fact that Aeffe, the parent company [of Moschino], made a loss in the 2022 financial year, from a profit the previous year, may have had a bearing on Scott’s motivation to find new pastures, or to accept one of the, I’d suggest, numerous offers that regularly come his way.”

Stacey McCarthy, co-managing director of executive recruitment agency Mode Search, says it is not unusual for brands to renew their creative strategies to keep up with evolving consumer tastes:

“I think it is normal to trade up [creative director], brands are constantly looking for new clients and customers, and the only way to do that is to refresh the brand.”

In November, Alessandro Michele announced he was to leave Gucci, with the luxury house announcing Sebato De Sarno as new creative director in January. In February, French luxury house Louis Vuitton announced Pharrell Williams as its creative director of menswear, following the death of Virgil Abloh in November 2021.

“It’s why we’re getting this carousel of creative directors, they are under so much pressure,” adds McCarthy, “not just to make the brand cool and talked about, but to sell things. Some of the quirky pieces they do actually don’t make the brand any money, they are just to attract attention. The brand probably needs modernising in my opinion, it needs a fresh take – [Scott] has probably taken the brand as far as he can. Ten years is a long time for a creative director in this day and age.”

Moschino SS15

Luca Solca, senior research analyst, global luxury goods at Bernstein, says that changing consumer tastes may be prompting Moschino to update its quirky signature designs.  He tells Drapers: “Given Jeremy’s tenure and a shift to more elegant aesthetics, I’m not surprised by this change. Interpreting the Moschino’s ironic DNA in this new spirit of the time requires a deft pick.”

Men’s and womenswear London Fashion Week designer, and Drapers 30 Under 30 alumnus, Patrick McDowell tells Drapers that Scott is leaving on a high: “Moschino has been reinvigorated in a way so true to the house by Jeremy Scott, pioneering high-low collaborations and maintaining the tongue-in-cheek aesthetic that the brand was built on for the modern century. [Scott has had] an incredible tenure and example of leaving at the end of a fantastic tenure. I'm excited to see what's next for the brand and hope that the humorous and ironic edge Moschino has can be rooted in a solid sustainability strategy for the coming decades ahead.”

A successor has not yet been named for Scott, and it remains to be seen whether Moschino’s “tongue-in-cheek” handwriting will continue.