Menichetti, the former designer of British brand Burberry, replaces Nino Cerruti, the distinguished designer who in June left the house he founded, following its acquisition by the Italian fashion group Fin. Part.

Under the terms of the deal, Fin. Part will also finance a Menichetti label, though the group did not put a timeframe on this project, other than saying that it would happen "in due time."

A statement from Fin. Part made no mention of Cerruti's current women and men designers, Peter Speliopolous and Patrick Benville, and a spokesperson for the group declined any comment. However, the appointment of Menichetti would appear to mean that their days at Cerruti are numbered, given that Menichetti is very much a hands on designer.

"The research of the concepts and the evolution of the materials typical for the Cerruti brand needed a particular interpreter: one who was versatile, a researcher, and innovative with a strong artisan background," Fin. Part's president and Managing Director Gianluigi Facchini said in a statement.

Facchini added that Cerruti must stand for "sophisticated elegance... married with new forms of creative industrial technology."

Menichetti shot to fame three years ago when he was appointed creative director for Burberry, where he successfully revitalized a tired British brand into one of the hottest labels in fashion. Menichetti's family had a hand tailoring business in Gubbio, the austere Umbrian medieval town famed for its ceramics. After studying classical arts and painting in Florence, followed by stints with Claude Montana and Jil Sander, Burberry's president Rose Marie Bravo gave him his big break in 1998.

However, the designer left Burberry suddenly in March after a reportedly bitter dispute with Bravo.