MILAN — Dondup has recruited its next creative director from outside the fashion world but not too far from it, having tapped the fashion-savvy Italian pop star Achille Lauro for the role.
The appointment is effective immediately and marks the first major decision by Mauro Grange, Dondup’s chief executive officer since last December. A founding partner of the brand’s owner Made in Italy Fund — the private equity group managed by Quadrivio and Pambianco — Grange succeeded Matteo Anchisi.
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Tasked with leading the womenswear, menswear and accessories design teams, Lauro will present his first capsule collection for Dondup on June 15 on stage at his concert at the San Siro Stadium in Milan. The first drop will entail women’s looks only.
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“I’m truly delighted that Lauro is joining our team as Dondup’s creative director in what we see as a long-term partnership. Thanks to his deep artistic sensibility and his appreciation for our brand’s heritage, I’m confident he will lead the creative team with a distinctive vision and help write Dondup’s next chapter, building on its legacy and bringing significant value to the brand,” Grange said. “I had been dreaming of retooling Dondup for a long time and Lauro didn’t want to be just the face of the brand, but help me forge this next phase.
“I’ve been impressed by his professionalism and honesty and I believe that with him, Dondup will continue to shape fashion and culture through highly desirable collections and a unique, contemporary perspective on modern luxury,” he added.
Born Lauro De Marinis in Verona, Italy, in 1990, the pop star grew up in Rome and first emerged from the city’s underground rap scene in the early 2010s. He rose to mainstream prominence after his breakout appearance at the 2019 Sanremo Music Festival performing “Rolls Royce,” a genre-blurring track that cemented his status as cultural provocateur.
Although Lauro boasts no formal fashion training or experience, he has toyed with clothing in his performances, often theatrical and daring, and forged links with marquee luxury brands throughout his career. The Gucci outfits created by then-creative director Alessandro Michele that Lauro sported on stage for his 2020 participation at the Sanremo Music Festival sparked days of online conversation for subverting rigid gender norms and reimagining sacred Italian iconography. Lauro most recently served as a judge on Italy’s “X-Factor” and performed at the closing ceremony of the 2026 Milano-Cortina Winter Olympics at the Arena di Verona wearing Dolce & Gabbana.
“Fashion is the world you create around [clothing], which enhances people’s innate elegance and style,” Lauro said, talking to reporters at the newly unveiled Casa Dondup headquarters in Milan. “Our vision of fashion is to bring back elegance with a minimal edge to some extent.
“I really needed a well-oiled machine like Dondup and be flanked by the expertise of the team here to bring my vision to life fully,” the musician said.
The capsule collection to be unveiled in June is expected to serve as a manifesto and define Lauro’s vision, rooted in high-octane sensuality with a mannish edge. The first full collection will be unveiled in September touching on Dondup’s most distinctive codes, including denim.
Dondup was founded in 1999 in Fossombrone, in Italy’s central Marche region, by Massimo Berloni and Manuela Mariotti. L Catterton acquired the brand through the European arm of L Capital in 2009 and then through L Capital Asia in 2015. L Capital has since been folded into L Catterton.
The brand — which produces men’s and women’s ready-to-wear collections and is entirely made in Italy — has not had a creative director since Mariotti exited in 2017 to pursue other opportunities.
The Made in Italy Fund first invested in Dondup in 2021, taking over the label from L Catterton. Matteo Marzotto was also a shareholder and president of Dondup since September 2016 and exited the brand after the takeover of the company by the Made in Italy Fund.