Pollini: Erminio Cerbone succeeds Nicholas Kirkwood

By

Dominique Muret

Published
Dec 23, 2014

The Italian high-end footwear label Pollini is writing a new chapter. As anticipated by FashionMag.com last November, British designer Nicholas Kirkwood, who joined Pollini in 2008 and who was promoted to creative director in 2010, has left the house to focus on his own brand, which was bought in 2013 by LVMH. He will be replaced by Italian designer Erminio Cerbone beginning with fall/winter 2015-16.

Cerbone, who is not very well known to the general public, has an impressive resume. Having graduated with a degree in scenography and costume design from the Academy of Fine Arts in Naples, he began his career in 1992 at Prada Group, working for a dozen years in turns on Prada’s ready-to-wear for women, Miu Miu’s footwear for both men and women, and finally on Prada’s footwear. During that time, he also worked for stints at Romeo Gigli and Dolce & Gabbana. 

His long experience as a designer in the luxury accessories industry also includes time as "Head Shoes designer Man & Woman" at Jil Sander, under the supervision of Raf Simons, followed by a period as head women's shoes designer at Giorgio Armani. Since 2012, he has worked as a consultant for Vionnet, Tod's, Furla and Marni. 

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His appointment marks the beginning of a new phase for Pollini, which has developed in recent years from a traditional shoemaker into a fashion label, and which aims to continue this momentum by refocusing on a more accessible price segment. 

Pollini is owned by Italian fashion group Aeffe. It currently has twenty single-brand stores in major Italian cities, as well as in Switzerland and Austria. In 2013, the brand generated a turnover of 32.7 million euros, representing 13% of Aeffe’s total sales.