Twinset Appoints Gabriele Maggio to Lead Brand as Chief Executive Officer

Twinset turns to luxury to find its new captain. The Italian premium fashion company has announced the appointment of Gabriele Maggio as the new CEO, replacing Alessandro Varisco, after more than ten years in the position. This move follows the company’s latest transaction, which was acquired by the Borletti group and Italian company Quadrivio in a deal valued at €200 million, returning ownership of the firm to Italian hands.

The company has appointed Maggio taking over from Varisco, who has served as CEO of Twinset since 2015, when he joined the company from Moschino.

Maggio, meanwhile, was, until October, CEO of Italian company Elisabetta Franchi. The executive joined the company at the beginning of 2024, after having held the position of CEO and president of Stella McCartney from 2019 to 2023.

With a career spanning more than twenty years in the luxury industry, the executive took his first steps at Helmut Lang, owned by Prada, as wholesale and retail manager, a position he held from 1999 to 2002. That same year he joined Giorgio Armani as export manager for one year. In 2003 he was hired by Gucci as global merchandising director, a position he held for five years. In 2009 he jumped back to another firm, Bottega Veneta, where he held the position of CEO for Emea and Southeast Asia until 2016.

Twinset, which had been part of Carlyle’s portfolio since 2012, was acquired by the Borletti Group and Quadrivio last June

Twinset was sold in mid-June by U.S. fund manager Carlyle, one of the largest in the sector, after more than a decade in its portfolio. The Borletti group and the Italian company Quadrivio closed the purchase of the Italian company after several months of speculation.

Founded by Simona Barbieri and Tiziano Sgarbi in 1987, Twinset had been part of Carlyle’s portfolio since 2012, when it first entered its capital. Progressively, the U.S. group raised its control over the brand, first to 90% in 2015, and finally acquiring the remaining 10% two years later, in 2017.

Twinset operates a hundred stores and posted a profit in 2023 of €34 million, on revenues of more than €200 million. The business now passes partially into the hands of Borletti, the Italian group of the family that founded the La Rinascente department store and owns part of Printemps.