” Alessandro Maria Ferreri, ceo and owner of The Style Gate consulting firm, who has worked for the likes of Bloomingdale’s and Macy’s in the Middle East, the Al Tayer Group, Harvey Nichols and Furla, among others, underscored his concerns over
the financial situation of the group, which he pegged at “an erosion of 300 million euros over the past three years,” and said the arrival of a designer is “simpatico,” but expressed his need for more information on how Benetton intends to relaunch the brand. He had no reservations about de Castelbajac, comparing him to Sonia Rykiel, Jean Paul Gaultier and Valentino Garavani, saying “he was a wizard with knitwear, blending it with nylon in 1970, he was projected into the future with visionary materials, he added patches 20 years before Alessandro Michele. He is a master in terms of techniques. And not everyone knows that he was artistic director of TV series ‘Charlie’s Angels’ dressing Farrah Fawcett for 10 years — an ante litteram stylist, he has an incredible eye for color. He is a great collector of modern art and he is a pillar of the fashion world. There is no doubt he will be positive for Benetton.”
