Gucci Designer Alessandro Michele Wins BFA Award for Turning the Brand Around

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Gucci's newly appointed Alessandro Michele is already being recognized for the work he's done at the storied Italian fashion house. The Gucci designer will receive the International Designer Award at the British Fashion Awards later this month, on November 23rd, according to WWD.

Michele was a relative no-name when he was promoted from head accessories designer to creative director in January of this year. However, his appointment now looks like an extremely shrewd move by Gucci, which has enjoyed rising sales under Michele for the first time in two years. The under-the-radar hiring has been mentioned as a business model — promoting internally rather than going for a starry outside name — for every opening at a fashion house since.

Michele has shown four collections that have helped reinvigorate the brand since January. "Alessandro Michele is a phenomenon at Gucci," chairman for the British Fashion Council Natalie Massenet tells WWD. "His exciting, eclectic aesthetic has made an overnight impact on global fashion trends. It is not just that he has made the brand covetable and the product so desirable. He has also reinvigorated the retail experience bringing back playfulness and magic to the flagship store. This is a man who has his customer in his heart and celebrates them."