<p>MILAN — Designer Paul Andrew is stepping down as creative director of Salvatore Ferragamo, effective in May, the fashion house said Thursday.</p>
<p>Andrew joined the Florence-based company as women’s footwear designer in 2016 and was promoted to creative director for all categories in 2019.</p>
<p>“After five years, with pride and a heavy heart, I have decided it’s time for a new challenge,’’ Andrew said in a post on Instagram. “It’s been a true honor to give new life to Salvatore’s legacy, his genius design and ground-breaking innovation. I will always be grateful for this opportunity, and proud of the work I have accomplished.”</p>
<p>Ferragamo said upcoming collections will be entrusted to the current in-house design team. CEO Micaela le Divelec Lemmi thanked Andrew for his “passion” and for “enhancing the position and creative vision of the house.”</p>
<p>British-born Andrew did not announce plans. He suspended his namesake luxury show label when he joined Ferragamo.</p>
<p>Luxury fashion has been hit hard by the pandemic, with restrictions forcing new collections to be mostly previewed on-line and stores to close.</p>
<p>Salvatore Ferragamo swung to a 72-million-euro loss last year, compared with 2019 earnings of 87 million euros, as full-year revenues plunged by a third. The family-owned fashion house cited the lockdowns that forced stores to close their doors for periods during 2020. </p>
<p>Like other brands, Ferragamo invested in e-commerce during the pandemic, launching new sites in North America, fast-growing China, Japan and South Korea, as well as in countries using the euro.</p>
