IN AND OUT: Former Stuart Weitzman creative director Giovanni Morelli has joined Valentino as accessories design director, WWD has learned. He reports to creative director Pierpaolo Piccioli. Morelli, who left the Tapestry Inc.-owned brand in May after one year, is a former leather goods designer for Loewe, Marc Jacobs and Chloé.
Morelli’s exit followed allegations of sexual harassment filed by Stuart Weitzman’s vice president Thomas Gibb, but Tapestry itself has since taken action against Gibb, terminating him and filing its own lawsuit against the executive, alleging breach of contract, duty of loyalty and diversion of corporate opportunities.
At the same time, Valentino’s chief marketing officer Isabelle Harvie-Watt has exited the company after only six months. This was a new role at the company and it is understood it is now vacant.
Born and raised in London, Harvie-Watt has been working in Italy for more than 25 years. Before Valentino, she was a managing partner and chief executive officer of the Spring Group — Spring Studios and Spring Place — in Milan, tasked with expanding and managing the group’s footprint in Italy. Prior to this, Harvie-Watt spent five years as ceo and country manager of Havas Media Group in Italy. While at Havas, she also founded and launched Luxhub, a global strategic consulting division for the group, specializing in luxury and fashion. Harvie-Watt has an extensive 20-year background in working for luxury fashion brands ranging from Giorgio Armani and Versace to Tod’s Group.
The departure takes place ahead of Valentino’s runway show in Tokyo on Nov. 27 to present its men’s and women’s pre-fall 2019 collection. This is the first time the two ready-to-wear divisions will be presented together on the runway and it is the first show the Rome-based company will hold in Tokyo since the Eighties.
Marking the event, Valentino’s flagship boutique at Ginza Six will be temporarily transformed into a new generation concept store conceived by Piccioli and Sarah Andelman, the former creative director of Colette.