NEW ROLE: Following the arrival of Marco Bizzarri as chairman and Gabriele Maggio as chief executive officer, Elisabetta Franchi’s team continues to evolve and grow.
Matteo Aceti has been named global communications director of the brand, effective Jan. 7.
He reports to Maggio and creative director and founder Elisabetta Franchi.
Aceti joins the brand from Swarovski, where he was head of global PR/advocacy, talents and events from June 2022 to last December, based in Zurich.
Before that, for four years he was senior global communication manager at Versace, and communication manager at Jil Sander from January 2017 to February 2018, both in Milan. His curriculum also lists two years as press relations coordinator at Louis Vuitton.
In April, Bizzarri, the former president and CEO of Gucci, revealed he was investing in Elisabetta Franchi, acquiring 23 percent of the company through a personal holding called Nessifashion, and taking on the role of chairman.
The designer’s parent company, Betty Blue, closed 2023 with sales of 170 million euros and a margin of earnings before interest and taxes of 31.8 percent, and relies on its own production chain. The brand is present in 78 countries and counts about 100 monobrand stores. In November, it opened its first U.S. boutique in the Bal Harbour Shops in Miami, signaling an interest in further investing in the market.
In the U.S., the brand will launch with Saks Fifth Avenue with the spring 2025 collection in stores, including New York, Beverly Hills and Houston.
Franchi established the brand in 1998 and its main business is ready-to-wear.
The arrival in February last year of Maggio as CEO was a first sign of changes at the brand, which pointed to further international expansion and the strengthening of its position as a luxury fashion label.
Maggio, whose career in fashion spans more than 25 years, was previously president and CEO of Stella McCartney. Prior to McCartney, Maggio was general manager of Moschino and previously held several senior executive and board-level positions at both Gucci and Bottega Veneta. He also lists experiences at Giorgio Armani and Prada.
