A new era is beginning at Moschino. The Italian house has appointed Loris Messina and Simone Rizzo as its co-creative directors, ushering in a fresh chapter for the label founded by Franco Moschino and renowned for its irreverent wit and subversive approach to luxury.
The duo, best known as the founders of Milan-based label Sunnei, assume the role following the departure of Adrian Appiolaza. Their first collection for the house is set to debut during Milan Fashion Week this September.
For those familiar with Sunnei’s singular universe, the appointment feels less like a surprise than a natural progression. Since establishing the brand in 2014, Messina and Rizzo have cultivated a devoted following through collections that blended conceptual playfulness with an unmistakably modern sensibility. Their runway presentations frequently challenged fashion’s conventions, transforming shows into immersive experiences that blurred the boundaries between spectacle and commentary.
That spirit of experimentation shares an affinity with the legacy of Franco Moschino himself. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, the designer became celebrated for turning humour into a creative language, using fashion as both adornment and critique. It is a heritage Messina and Rizzo have openly admired, describing the house as a “cultural maison” with a strong and radical point of view.
“Taking on the creative direction of the House means embracing this legacy and projecting it into the present,” the pair said in a statement.
Their arrival also marks another notable shift in a season defined by creative reshuffles across luxury fashion. Yet while many appointments have seemed driven by commercial urgency, Moschino’s choice carries a sense of creative symmetry. Both Messina and Rizzo have long approached fashion with the kind of irony, cultural awareness and visual experimentation that have been central to the house since its inception.
Now, all eyes turn to Milan in September, where the designers will unveil their first vision for Moschino—and offer a glimpse of what the next chapter of the storied Italian maison might look like.
