La Perla has tapped Pedro Lourenço as its first creative director.
The Brazilian designer will be in charge of the Italian label’s lingerie, sleepwear, loungewear and accessories collections for both women and men. Lourenço will also be responsible for the Atelier collections presented at Paris Haute Couture.
His first women’s lineup design for La Perla will be unveiled with a presentation during the upcoming Milan Fashion Week next month.
“I want to exalt La Perla’s aesthetic also because I think that its founder, Ada Masotti, established a brand with the goal of creating things for contemporary women, continuing to rework her style in sync with the changes around her,” Lourenço said.
He added that many of his personal style elements will be injected into his designs for the luxury brand. These will include “the use of innovative solutions, the balance between masculine and feminine, graphic lines and optical effects,” he explained.
Lourenço said he will reinterpret classic items, such as the corset, to create something modern and appealing for contemporary customers. “I want to connect the body to the garment,” said the designer who aims to deliver underwear pieces that can be easily integrated in daywear. “The idea is to establish La Perla as a women’s and men’s lifestyle brand.”
La Perla, which operates 215 stores worldwide, expects to close the fiscal year with revenues up 30 percent compared to 2014, when the company posted revenues of 112 million euros, or about $137 million at average exchange rate.
Lourenço will continue to design his namesake women’s wear brand, which was launched at Paris Fashion Week in 2010.