Italy's Cavalli appoints Surridge as new creative director

Italian fashion house Roberto Cavalli appointed on Wednesday British designer Paul Surridge as its new creative director, filling a spot that was left vacant for almost seven months.

The Florence-based group has been going through a phase of transition since being bought in 2015 by Italian private equity Clessidra and is now undergoing a radical overhaul aimed at relaunching the brand, popular with celebrities.

Surridge, who has previously worked at Clavin Klein, Burberry and Jil Sander, will head all of the group's lines and showcase his first season in Milan in September 2017, with the spring-summer 2018 collection, Cavalli said.

Chief Executive Gian Giacomo Ferraris, who launched a deep restructuring of the group seven months ago including cutting staff by a nearly third and shutting stores, said the appointment of Surridge is part of "ambitious development plans" for the brand.

An alumni of London's famed fashion institute Central Saint Martins, Surridge most recently headed one of the lines of Italian luxury tailor Zegna and was creative consultant of Swedish fashion house Acne Studios.

Cavalli's previous creative director, Norwegian Peter Dundas, left in October after only three seasons.
The company aims to return to profitability in 2018 after revenues plunged 13.6 percent last year.