More trouble at Trussardi as creative directors exit brand

Italian fashion house Trussardi has found itself without creative directors. Duo Benjamin A Huseby and Serhat Işık have exited the brand, leaving the troubled label without a design team. Earlier this month Trussardi’s board directors and CEO Sebastian Suhl announced their departure raising questions about the future of the company as it restructures following a mass exodus of its operational and creative teams.

Huseby and Işık, founders of the Berlin-based label GmbH, were appointed in 2021, making their tenure one of the shortest in recent years at just three seasons. Most creative director contracts have a minimum length of three years. Lindsay Lohan takes the crown with just one season as artistic director at Ungaro, after being appointed in 2009 and fired after her first collection was not well received by critics.

Ongoing problems

Trussardi has struggled to relinquish its debts and find a secure footing under new owners QuattroR, an Italian asset management company that acquired a 60 percent stake in 2019. While the pandemic likely hindered growth shortly after the acquisition, the brand has failed to capture consumer interest and generate sales, even as designers Huseby and Işık ignited a buzz.

The amalgamation of foregoing a catwalk show for its latest presentation, growing production and distribution problems on top of a shrinking budget for marketing activations added to an already precarious situation.

Trussardi has seen a decline in revenue over the past several years as it failed to compete on a global scale and changing consumer preferences. In recent seasons the company has focused primarily on its home market in Italy, missing out on opportunities that would require investment in its distribution networks and developing a robust digital strategy for its own e-commerce and social media.

While the GmbH founders were responsible for a short revival, the company needs a longer term strategy to upgrade its brand image, which is associated with more classic and formal styles that do not necessarily appeal to a younger customer.