Azzaro appoints new creative duo

By

Florent Gilles

Published
Jun 12, 2013

Fashion house Azzaro on Tuesday announced that it had recruited Arnaud Maillard and Alvaro Castejón, a franco-hispanic duo from a rich international background, to be the brand’s creative directors. Based in Madrid, the duo launched their own luxury womenswear line Alvarno in 2009.

Absent from the Parisian runway since the departure of Mathilde Castello Branco in late 2012, Azzaro will present a pre-collection of 25 pieces on July 5 in the label’s historic Paris store according to a WWD interview with Carlos Reig, president of Azzaro International and vice president of Andorra-based Reig Capital Group, the brand’s owner.

Arnaud Maillard, the French contingent of the design duo, recently made waves in France when he released ‘Merci Karl’, a controversial book detailing his times spent working with Karl Lagerfeld. After having graduated from Paris fashion school, l’Ecole de la Chambre Syndicale de la Couture Parisienne, Maillard went on to join the Karl Lagerfeld studio where he remained for 15 years.

Alvaro Castejó took his first steps in fashion with Oscar de la Renta, after having graduated from the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York. He then moved on to work for Givenchy and Alexander McQueen before heading to Lagerfeld Gallery and Fendi. In 2009, the two designers came together to create Alvarno in Madrid and regularly present their collection at Madrid fashion week.