Dondup bids adieu to creative director Manuela Mariotti

By

Dominique Muret

Published
Mar 22, 2017

As Dondup ramps up its acceleration plans with a new management team at its helm, the Italian brand has lost its creative soul, Manuela Mariotti. The designer has decided to leave the high-end denim brand, which she founded in 1999 with her husband Massimo Berloni, "to devote herself to new personal projects," according to a press release.

The departure comes at time of big changes for Dondup. The firm is in the first stages of acceleration after an injection in 2010 from L Capital, the investment arm linked to French group LVMH, joining majority stakeholder L Catterton, which owns 93% of the brand.

In last September, the brand welcomed a capital shot from Matteo Marzotto, heir of the famous textile dynasty. Since Marzotto's arrival, the scion has been appointed brand president, succeeding co-founder Massimo Berlono, while Marco Casoni was attributed the role of chief executive.

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The organisation, which has seen exponential growth in recent years, has churned out revenues of 55 million euros, of which 80% were made overseas. Dondup is eyeing revenues of 90 million euros over the next three years to 2020.