Dsquared2 GM Chiara Baravalle exits after five months as OTB talks stall

Dsquared2 and Chiara Baravalle, named general manager on 1 February, have parted ways less than six months into the job. Sources say she was let go this summer. Contacted for comment, the brand confirmed the collaboration "has come to an end" and said it is working on a new organisational structure.

The exit is the latest in a revolving door at the top of the label founded by Dean and Dan Caten. The twins have led the company themselves since general manager Ennio Fontana departed in February 2024 after less than a year in the role.

Fontana had succeeded Sergio Azzolari, who left for Roberto Cavalli about a year after joining, taking a post that had been vacant since 2017. Baravalle's five months in the chair now makes three short tenures in a row at the helm.

The abrupt departure comes as sources say Renzo Rosso's OTB Group, a longtime manufacturer of the brand through Staff International, was eyeing control of the label. Those talks, according to the sources, broke down after the summer, leaving the question of the Catens' future partner open.

Who Baravalle is and where she came from

Baravalle arrived from Forel, the operational investment firm set up by Marco Bizzarri, the former Gucci president and chief executive. There she led strategy, investments and portfolio development. Before Forel she had been general manager at Elisabetta Franchi.

Earlier still, Baravalle served as chief of staff to Bizzarri at Gucci and sat on the company's executive committee, where she led global strategic priorities and transformation and liaised with parent company Kering. Her career began in Silicon Valley before a stint at Bain & Company's fashion and luxury practice.

A Stanford graduate and United States, Italian and French citizen, Baravalle was hired as Dsquared2 renewed its licensing agreement with Staff International for the production and distribution of its ready-to-wear collections. The renewal spans another five years, through to the fall 2031 season.

At the time, the Catens admitted the brand was at "a turning point" and said the priority for 2026 was "setting the foundation for the next chapter." They spoke of reactivating the brand, stabilising the business and moving forward "as one team" in the same direction.

The OTB and Staff International link

The licence with Staff International, controlled by OTB, was first inked in 2000 and renewed in 2020 through to 2027. The latest extension came after Dsquared2 and Staff International last May resolved a legal dispute, which followed the Catens shelving a plan to take production back in house.

Staff International is the manufacturing arm of OTB, which comprises Diesel, Jil Sander, Maison Margiela, Marni and Viktor & Rolf, along with the childrenswear producer Brave Kid. OTB also holds a stake in Amiri. A takeover would have tightened that relationship further.

The reported collapse of the talks leaves Dsquared2 to press on with the Catens at the helm. The label has been through upheaval beyond the executive suite in the past year, and the brand founded in 1995 is still regrouping.

At the end of last year Dsquared2 began a reorganisation across its worldwide offices, said to affect around 15 percent of its workforce in response to market challenges. That followed a run of leadership churn stretching back to 2017, when the general manager post first went vacant.

On the creative side the brand has kept up a public rhythm. Its last fashion show was held in Milan in January, a coed lineup that drew attention when "Heated Rivalry" star Hudson Williams made his official fashion debut strutting the catwalk for the label.

The spring 2027 men's and women's collections were presented in September in the showroom by appointment in Milan, a quieter format than the January runway. The brand is trimming its operations while still working to keep its name in front of buyers and press.

For now, the open questions are who replaces Baravalle and whether OTB returns to the table. The Catens, who founded and still lead the label, are once again running it themselves as they did after Fontana's exit, and the sources name no successor.

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Image: Dsquared2