Corneliani Taps Paul Surridge
MILAN — Corneliani is collaborating with British designer Paul Surridge, who has been tasked with helping the storied company’s relaunch and repositioning. His first designs will bow for the spring 2023 Circle collection to be presented during Milan Men’s Fashion Week in June at the Corneliani showroom.
The Circle collection was introduced with the spring 2020 season, reinforcing the brand’s commitment to a more sustainable model and its increasing targeting of the new generation of environmentally conscious consumers.
“Paul is a talented, forward-thinking and experienced fashion designer with a passionate soul and an extraordinary background,” said Corneliani chief executive officer Giorgio Brandazza. “This collaboration is part of a global relaunch project for the company that started in 2022 and that is showing very encouraging growth results, far above expectations.”
Last year, an Italian court accepted the company’s request for a composition with creditors and a new Corneliani SpA was officially established in December.
Bahrain-based fund Investcorp acquired a majority stake in the company in mid2016, agreeing last year to create a NewCo that would invest 7 million euros in the Mantua, Italy-based brand.
The restructuring plan presented by Corneliani and supported by Investcorp and the fund Invitalia guaranteed the company’s business continuity.
Brandazza said he believes Surridge’s “creative vision will bring an outstanding value” to Corneliani “in this crucial moment for the brand.”
Surridge left his role as creative director of Roberto Cavalli in 2019, after a two-year stint at the brand.
A graduate of London’s Central Saint Martins, Surridge was previously creative consultant at Acne Studios in Stockholm, with responsibility for coordination of the menswear collections. Before that, he was creative director of Z Zegna from 2011 to 2014.
Earlier, Surridge was design director of men’s at Jil Sander, reporting to thencreative director Raf Simons. He honed his skills at Calvin Klein and Burberry, working with Christopher Bailey from
2003 to 2007.
Surridge underscored Corneliani’s current path, “exploring new ways to evolve and elevate its signature mix of heritage and innovation.” The brand, he said, “represents the quintessence of Italian craftsmanship, and our shared mission to design a new form of elevated elegance at this strategic time is an exciting and inspiring project for me.”
The designer is tasked with revisiting classic menswear archetypes focused on tailoring and sartorial separates, but through “modernized silhouettes,
The British designer will unveil his first looks for the spring 2023 Corneliani Circle collection in June during Milan Men’s Fashion Week.
comfortable textures with an understated color palette,” the company said on Monday.