The world of fashion is going to get a little bit less absurd. According to a statement released by the parent company of the Moschino brand on Monday, Jeremy Scott is resigning from his position as the creative director of Moschino, which comes as yet another significant surprise to the industry. His departure brings an end to a 10-year tenure that helped revitalise the brand by using it as a vehicle to poke fun at consumerism while simultaneously celebrating it in visual stunts tailor-made for the Instagram era. His departure also marks the end of his tenure as creative director of the brand. There is currently no one designated to take over.
Since the designer Alessandro Michele departed Gucci in November, this move will further alter the Italian fashion world. Mr. Scott’s ability to infuse a type of sarcastic postmodern pop comedy into garments pushed Moschino to new significance, and this move will further change the Italian fashion industry.
Miley Cyrus, who previously wore a Moschino T-shirt dress printed with the words “I had nothing to wear so I put on this Moschino outfit,” and Katy Perry, who wore a Moschino chandelier and a Moschino hamburger to the Met Gala in 2019, are two examples of celebrities who have become fans of the company.
Mr. Scott was congratulated for “ushering in an unique and happy vision that will long be a part of Moschino history” in a statement released by Massimo Ferretti, the head of Aeffe, the company that owns Moschino.
Mr. Scott, now 47 years old, was only the third designer to lead the house since it was established in 1983 by Franco Moschino to celebrate the virtues of elegant irreverence. Rosella Jardini took over the company when Mr. Moschino passed away in 1994 from issues related to AIDS. She gamely continued the family business until Mr. Scott came in 2013 with his own brand of subversive comedy.
Almost immediately, his knack with a fashion pun connected with a generation that was raised on social media. This phenomenon was so significant that in 2015, Mr. Scott was selected to redesign the “Moonman” trophy that is handed to victors at MTV’s Video Music Awards. Mr. Scott sent down the runway parodies of McDonald’s and Barbie, constructed Le Smokings that were really smouldering as a tribute to the Bonfire of the Vanities, and in September of last year created a full ode to inflatables because, you know, inflation.
Mr. Scott presented a collection that was shown by marionettes that were created in Jim Henson’s workshop at the time when Covid-19 suspended its live fashion displays. He packed the show’s fake front row with puppet replicas of fashion editors such as Anna Wintour and Edward Enninful, encouraging audience members to explore the topic of who in the fashion industry is truly in charge of pulling the strings.
In the exhibition “Camp: Notes on Fashion” that will be shown at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 2019, one of the most prominent pieces is a garment that was created by Mr. Scott for a Moschino collection that was inspired by game-show kitsch. The outfit had a whole TV meal on its train. With the antics on the runway, Mr. Scott was astute enough to create unique collections that included T-shirts and phone covers, giving customers the opportunity to participate in the Moschino universe.
In spite of the fact that Mr. Scott has kept his own namesake brand going strong for the most of his career at Moschino, the brand has been shelved in recent seasons. Mr. Scott did not disclose whether or not it would now be resurrected or whether or not, as he previously said, he will go into the film industry. he stated in a text message sent from Seoul, where he is presenting a new cooperation with Hyundai, “Every book has chapters, and as I complete this chapter, I am delighted to share with the world my next chapter.” He is in the process of unveiling a new partnership with Hyundai.
It is not clear whether Mr. Scott’s departure from Moschino was due to a change in the general mood in the industry, which is shifting away from buzz-making theatrics and towards “timelessness” as sales of classic luxury brands such as Chanel and Hermès soar, or whether, as some conventional wisdom has it, a decade is simply enough time for a single creative director to helm a fashion house. However, it is clear that Mr. Scott’s time at Moschino came to an Mr. Scott and the Aeffe group both refused to provide any more information or clarification on the statement that was released announcing his departure.
