Alessandro Michele steps down as Gucci creative director

Alessandro Michele poses for photographers upon arrival at the premiere of the film 'Don't Worry Darling' in Venice, Italy, September 5, 2022. [AP photo]

Alessandro Michele is leaving his role as creative director of Gucci, the fashion house announced Wednesday, bringing an end to an eight-year tenure that sharply redefined Gucci's codes with romanticism and gender-fluidity, all the while powering revenues for the Kering parent.

Womenswear Daily reported Michele's expected departure on Tuesday, citing sources that said Michele had failed to meet a request to "initiate a strong design shift," and that the chairman of Gucci's parent Kering, Francois-Henri Pinault, was looking for a change of pace.