EXCLUSIVE: Ginori 1735 CEO Alain Prost Resigns
MILAN — The executive shuffle gripping the fashion world has made its way to the home sector. Ginori 1735 chairman and chief executive officer Alain Prost, who took the helm of the historic porcelain maker in 2019, has stepped down, WWD has learned.
A spokesperson for Ginori 1735 parent company, Paris-based Kering, confirmed the exit to WWD on Wednesday.
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“The group warmly thanks him for his contribution to the growth of the company. An interim CEO and governance is being put in place under the supervision of the board of directors of the company,” read an emailed statement from Kering.
Prost, a luxury veteran, joined the Tuscany-based firm just before the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic and brought a long roster of professional experiences from companies like La Perla, Groupe Chantelle and L’Oréal. At the time, Prost reported directly to Kering‘s chief operating officer Mehdi Benabadji, who covered the role of chairman and CEO on an interim basis after Giovanni Giunchedi exited the company.
Prost was tasked at the time with consolidating the high-end positioning of the brand and further developing its retail presence locally and in international markets.
Under Prost’s term as CEO, Richard Ginori became known as Ginori 1735. It also expanded its reach, rolling out its first campaign fronted by A-list Hollywood actor Jake Gyllenhaal in 2023. The same year, it named actress and model Ko So-Young its brand ambassador for the South Korean market. A second chapter of the Gyllenhaal ad campaign was unveiled in October and was set in Doccia, Tuscany, where Marquis Carlo Andrea Ginori launched his first manufacturing business in the villa of the family estate.
During Milan Design Week in 2023, Ginori 1735 stepped into the world of furnishings, lighting and accessories with Venetian designer Luca Nichetto and the Domus collection of statement pieces, that included pieces made with fabric-maker Rubelli and glassmaker Barovier&Toso. In November, at Florence’s St. Regis hotel Ginori 1735 unveiled the first Café Ginori, a world curated around the Florence-born brand. The concept brought Ginori’s Domus home decor collection, Oriente Italiano tableware and wallpaper to the forefront in a physical space.
Formerly called Richard Ginori, the firm’s artisans have been producing luxury porcelain tableware and other elements for the home for nearly 300 years. In a modern age, it had garnered popular recognition by partnering with artists and luxury brands, for example with Saint Laurent, Etro and Buccellati, and artists Luke Edward Hall and Paolo Stella. Richard Ginori was acquired by Gucci in 2013, and it ventured into home decor, fragrances and tableware to adapt to a digitally frenzied era. It then passed under the Kering umbrella in 2016.
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