Frida Giannini (born in Rome, 1972) is an Italian fashion designer. She was the

creative director A creative director (or creative supervisor) is a person who makes high-level creative decisions and, with those decisions, oversees the creation of creative assets such as advertisements, products, events, or logos. Creative director positions ar ...

of the Italian fashion house

Gucci Gucci (, ; ) is an Italian high-end luxury fashion house based in Florence, Italy. Its product lines include handbags, ready-to-wear, footwear, accessories, and home decoration; and it licenses its name and branding to Coty, Inc. for fragran ...

from 2006 to 2014.

Education

Giannini studied

fashion design Fashion design is the art of applying design, aesthetics, clothing construction and natural beauty to clothing and its accessories. It is influenced by culture and different trends, and has varied over time and place. "A fashion designer creates ...

at Rome's Fashion Academy.

Career

After brief stints at small, family-run accessories companies, she joined

Fendi Fendi () is an Italian high-end luxury fashion house producing fur, ready-to-wear, leather goods, shoes, fragrances, eyewear, timepieces and accessories. Founded in Rome in 1925, Fendi is known for its fur, fur accessories, and leather goods. ...

in 1997, to design

ready-to-wear Ready-to-wear (or ''prêt-à-porter''; abbreviated RTW; "off-the-rack" or "off-the-peg" in casual use) is the term for ready-made garments, sold in finished condition in standardized sizes, as distinct from made-to-measure or bespoke clothing ...

. After three seasons, she was promoted to designer of leather goods. In 2002, Giannini joined Gucci as design director of handbags. In 2004, she was appointed to head women's accessories when

Tom Ford Thomas Carlyle Ford (born August 27, 1961) is an American fashion designer and filmmaker. He launched his eponymous luxury brand in 2005, having previously served as the creative director at Gucci and Yves Saint Laurent. Ford wrote and direct ...

departed the company. At the time, Gucci stores focused its inventory on the "GG" monogram canvas bag. Giannini attempted to change Gucci's style from

's designs by drawing from Gucci's heritage. Based on the 1960s

Grace Kelly Grace Patricia Kelly (November 12, 1929 – September 14, 1982) was an American actress who, after starring in several significant films in the early to mid-1950s, became Princess of Monaco by marrying Prince Rainier III in April 1956. Kelly ...

scarf, she developed the "Flora" collection of colorful bags. The collection was not well received by critics. In 2006,

Women's Wear Daily ''Women's Wear Daily'' (also known as ''WWD'') is a fashion-industry trade journal often referred to as the "Bible of fashion". Horyn, Cathy"Breaking Fashion News With a Provocative Edge" ''The New York Times''. (August 20, 1999). It provides inf ...

commented: "Trends do not start here." However, Flora proved to be Giannini's first commercial success, and she applied the style to other accessories, including ballet shoes. In 2006, Giannini was promoted to Creative Director for the entire Gucci label. Giannini continues to design from heritage. For example, the 2010 Winter Men's line was noted for influences from Gucci's equestrian history. However, Giannini says, "I don't think it is a nostalgic collection, but heritage is good for me—going back to the archives, but looking forward to the future." In 2011, she created, in collaboration with Lapo Elkann, the

Fiat 500 The Fiat 500 ( it, Cinquecento, ) is a rear-engined, four-seat, small city car that was manufactured and marketed by Fiat Automobiles from 1957 until 1975 over a single generation in two-door saloon and two-door station wagon bodystyles. Launc ...

by Gucci, a special edition of the Italian car. She was credited for softening Gucci's brand proposition from

's porno-chic to sensual, with hints of Art Nouveau and ''fin de siècle'', and to have introduced the brand's androgynous stance that

Alessandro Michele Alessandro Michele (; born 25 November 1972) is an Italian fashion designer who most recently served as the creative director of Gucci, the Italian fashion luxury house where he had been working since 2002. Known for his maximalist designs, Aless ...

later fully developed. On 12 December 2014 Kering SA announced Frida Giannini and Patrizio di Marco will be leaving the company. Giannini plans to see the fall/winter collection through to the

Milan Fashion Week Milan Fashion Week ( it, Settimana della moda) is a clothing trade show held semi-annually in Milan, Italy. The autumn/winter event is held in February/March of each year, and the spring/summer event is held in September/October of each year. It ...

and departed in early 2015. Her successor is

Film work

In 2013 Giannini designed costumes for

Olivia Wilde Olivia Jane Cockburn ( ; born March 10, 1984), known professionally as Olivia Wilde, is an American actress and filmmaker. She played Remy "Thirteen" Hadley on the medical-drama television series ''House'' (2007–2012), and has appeared in the ...

and

Chris Hemsworth Christopher Hemsworth (born 11 August 1983) is an Australian actor. He rose to prominence playing Kim Hyde in the Australian television series ''Home and Away'' (2004–2007) before beginning a film career in Hollywood. In the Marvel Cinemat ...

in the film '' Rush''.

Philanthrophy

Giannini has for years supported

UNICEF UNICEF (), originally called the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund in full, now officially United Nations Children's Fund, is an agency of the United Nations responsible for providing humanitarian and developmental aid to ...

, receiving in 2011 the UNICEF Women of Compassion award. In 2013, together with

Beyoncé Knowles Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter ( ; born September 4, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Beyoncé's boundary-pushing artistry and vocals have made her the most influential female musician of the 21st century, according to ...

and

Salma Hayek Salma Hayek Pinault ( , ; born Salma Valgarma Hayek Jiménez; September 2, 1966) is a Mexican and American actress and film producer. She began her career in Mexico with starring roles in the telenovela ''Teresa'' (1989–1991) as well as the ...

, she and Gucci launched Chime for Change, created with the goal of supporting women’s and girls’ education, health services and justice. Giannini has been a member of the board of

Save the Children The Save the Children Fund, commonly known as Save the Children, is an international non-governmental organization established in the United Kingdom in 1919 to improve the lives of children through better education, health care, and economic ...

since 2017, for which she has made field trips to

Jordan Jordan ( ar, الأردن; tr. ' ), officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan,; tr. ' is a country in Western Asia. It is situated at the crossroads of Asia, Africa, and Europe, within the Levant region, on the East Bank of the Jordan Rive ...

and Syria. For a humanitarian project in partnership with retailer OVS in 2018, she created a Christmas capsule collection of sweaters benefiting Save the Children.

Personal life

Giannini married Patrizio Di Marco on 5 June 2015; their daughter Greta was born in 2012. The couple separated in 2019. Giannini collects

vinyl record A phonograph record (also known as a gramophone record, especially in British English), or simply a record, is an analog sound storage medium in the form of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove. The groove usually starts nea ...

s, with her collection currently at 8,000.

Media

The life and work of Giannini was the subject of 2013 film '' The Director - An Evolution in Three Acts'', directed by Christina Voros and starring

James Franco James Edward Franco (born April 19, 1978) is an American actor and filmmaker. For his role in '' 127 Hours'' (2010), he was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor. Franco is known for his roles in films, such as Sam Raimi's ''Spider-M ...

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Giannini, Frida Living people 1972 births Fashion designers from Rome Italian fashion designers Italian women fashion designers 2000s fashion