Alexander McQueen appoints Gianfilippo Testa as new CEO

British luxury house Alexander McQueen has appointed Italian national Gianfilippo Testa as its new chief executive officer, effective May, 2022.

Testa will report to François-Henri Pinault, CEO of Kering, the owner of the McQueen brand.

The luxury veteran will succeed Emmanual Gintzburger, who is leaving the group to pursue opportunities outside of Kering, according to the company’s press release.

Testa joined Kering in 2016 following his previous work at competing luxury conglomerate LVMH, at which he held a range of roles specifically at Fendi.

On entering the Kering Group, which also owns the likes of Balenciaga and Saint Laurent, Testa served as Gucci president of Greater China and went on to become president of EMEA and VP global retail of the Italian brand.

Expanding the brand

Testa has been tasked with accelerating the expansion of the British brand “to tap its full potential”.

During the pandemic, while other retailers were closing their doors, Alexander McQueen was among the few that were planning a retail expansion.

Reported by WWD at the start of 2021, the label revealed plans to double its retail network to 130 units, with store openings planned in both Paris and Los Angeles.

Over the two years prior, Alexander McQueen opened new stores in around 20 cities, each designed by its creative director Sarah Burton.