NEW YORK (June 25, 2024) – Having recently announced Desire Holding SA’s acquisition of the Sergio Soldano brand, now the global beauty and luxury conglomerate names its official creative team. Creative duo Premoli + Di Bella (Giovanni Premoli and Dario Di Bella), have been appointed Sergio Soldano’s new Creative Directors. The move affirms Desire Holding Group’s ambitious expansion plans for its new Luxury Division – leading with Sergio Soldano, with plans to grow beyond beauty and personal care with a daring shift into luxury, fashion, and accessory categories. Sergio Soldano’s next fashion chapter will be revealed in January of 2025, as Premoli + Di Bella gear up to unveil their first Sergio Soldano women’s fall-winter 2025-2026 collections during New York and Milan Fashion Weeks.
The work of Creative Directors Premoli + Di Bella is synonymous with bold styling, nuanced storytelling, thorough research, and exquisite beauty. Their experience and bold creative vision have uniquely equipped the designers for the journey, as they lead the creative vision behind the revival of the Sergio Soldano brand – a name for decades linked with daring creativity and high society glamour.
“Daring, imaginative, and conceptual – these words have come to define designer Sergio Soldano’s creative legacy. As the inheritors of this heritage Italian brand, it was clear to Desire Holding SA Board Members that Soldano’s creative successors had to exhibit these same qualities and demonstrate a mastery of their craft. Moreover, they needed to possess an innate understanding of Italian culture and harbour a deep respect for the brand’s legacy. We are truly pleased to welcome Giovanni Premoli and Dario Di Bella as the new Creative Directors behind the Sergio Soldano brand – a well-established and creative Italian duo who meet all these criteria and much more.” said Antonio Lemma, CEO of Desire Fragrances Inc.
Lemma continued: “Premoli + Di Bella have proven themselves to be accomplished and versatile designers in their own right, with a unique, experimental creative voice that also leaves room for inclusivity and accessibility. Their distinctive creative signatures– rigorous geometric designs and an achromatic palette – present highly conceptual attire informed by diverse influences, from streetwear and culture to music and art. These themes draw direct parallels to Sergio Soldano’s rich, culturally thematic archival collections. We look forward to sharing Premoli + Di Bella’s creative visions with the world this January in New York and Milan as they reveal their flagship Sergio Soldano collections.”
The creative duo will be based between New York and Varese, Italy, and will lead a diverse and experienced design team, leading the label’s creative direction with input in all sectors, from merchandising and brand positioning to communications and related activities – signaling their alignment with the Group’s leadership, growth trajectory, and investment in the Sergio Soldano brand.
“We are honored and very grateful that Desire Holding Group singled us out as Creative Directors,” said Giovanni Premoli and Dario Di Bella. “But most of all, we are genuinely excited to embrace this new project, which enables us to pick up the mantle of an iconic Italian designer like Sergio Soldano, known to us as ‘the pure one of Italian fashion.’ This honor comes with an equal sensitivity – to uphold and embrace his inventive legacy with profound respect and devotion while applying our own creative, modern, and conscious perspective to evolve the brand into the future.”
HISTORY OF THE SERGIO SOLDANO BRAND
Sergio Soldano officially debuted to the world in 1968, drawing on his ancient and noble Tuscan lineage to inspire his love of fashion. He created quintessentially Italian fashion garments for high society figures around the world, including Liz Taylor, Ursula Andress, Gina Lollobrigida, Raquel Welch, Grace Jones, Joan Collins, Barbara Bouchet, Monica Vitti, Virna Lisi, Laura Antonelli, Sydney Rome, Serena Grandi, Mara Venier and many other stars, socialites and icons of the era.
Sergio Soldano revealed his haute couture collection in Rome and ready-to-wear collection in Florence and was among the first brands to present collections at “Milano Collezioni”. Brand exhibitions in New York, Tokyo, Paris, Frankfurt, Moscow, Montreal, and Munich soon followed and Sergio Soldano gained a global following for his geometric styling, vivid color palettes, and iconic collections including “Swan Woman” and “One Thousand and One Nights”. Sergio Soldano was also a leading voice in establishing the popular mid-century folk-art look.
Sergio Soldano demonstrated an innate ability to celebrate and flatter the female figure. He became known as “the new man of fashion”, renowned for his unbridled creativity. Soldano’s designs have graced the covers and pages of countless fashion magazines – and he himself became a cultural force, appearing as himself in several films.
Many films featured Sergio Soldano’s creations, including the famous poncho worn by Liz Taylor in “Zoe & Company”, the iconic cloak worn by Laura Antonelli in “The Divine Nymph” the outfits worn by Virna Lisi in “Bluebeard” with Richard Burton, and the clothes in “Scent of a Woman” starring Vittorio Gassman.
ABOUT DESIRE HOLDING GROUP
Desire Holding has consolidated its presence in the international beauty scene, backed by years of previous experience in production and distribution of well-known brands within the U.S. market, including Ferrari, Jacques Bogart, and having signed exclusive licenses with Bill Blass, Katy Perry, Jesse McCartney, Carmen Electra and Rampage, among others. Today, Desire Holding Group also holds exclusive licenses for Liu-Jo, Head, Tonino Lamborghini, Alfa Romeo and Sergio Tacchini with other new signings soon to be announced as part of the Group’s Premium Division expansion. Italian subsidiary Desire Fragrances S.r.l. was officially established in 2020 and later acquired by Desire Holding. For more information, visit desirefragrances.net.
