Marco Bizzarri Gives Address With Advice for Fashion’s Next Generation
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At a ceremony in London’s Royal Festival Hall last summer, Marco Bizzarri, the former Gucci chief executive who led the brand during its dramatic growth under creative director Alessandro Michele, offered his words of advice to students entering the fashion industry.
“You’re going to face a lot of hurdles,” he said. “But I really wish you to find in your journey people that are going to love you, that are going to support you, that are going to mentor you, that are going to believe in you, like they believed in me, more than I believed in myself in certain moments. Because nobody — nobody — is born to be a CEO, or creative director.”
Bizzarri gave his address while accepting an honorary degree from the University for the Creative Arts for his vast contributions to the fashion industry. In his more than 30 years in fashion, he served as president and CEO at Stella McCartney and Bottega Veneta before his appointment in 2015 to the top job at Gucci, where he led a historically successful turnaround during his eight-year tenure.
One of his first strategic decisions in the role was to name as creative director the relatively unknown Michele, who rebranded the Italian fashion house in his campy, idiosyncratic aesthetic. Between 2015 and 2019, sales more than doubled while profits quadrupled before growth slowed. Bizzarri exited Gucci in 2023.
His guidance comes during a critical moment for fashion newcomers, who face a turbulent industry that has seen challenges to diversity and sustainability, tariff-induced chaos and a steep downturn in luxury spending.
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