Rumor has it that investment platform Bidayat is looking to bring Italian fashion brand Walter Albini back to life, potentially under the creative supervision of Gucci’s former creative director Alessandro Michelle.

The company has acquired the intellectual property rights and a significant portion of the brand’s archives in its bid to revive the dormant brand.

“We are honored having unearthed this hidden jewel of Italian high fashion and are currently studying Walter Albini’s vast heritage to set the foundations for the future of the eponymous brand,” said Rachid Mohamed Rachid, the founder and chairman of Bidayat.

“Walter Albini deserves to claim its rightful place amongst the top luxury brands on the global stage. Our challenge will be finding the right caliber of the leadership team to bring alive our vision and ambition.”

Albini is today remembered as one of the most influential Italian designers. His label largely gained prominence between the mid-’60s and early ’80s for its innovative approach to design and avant-garde style.

While Albini’s label was forgotten soon after his untimely death in 1983 at the young age of 43, his work today continues to have an outsized impact on the fashion industry.

Albini is credited for making “Made in Italy” a global phenomenon and pioneering the ready-to-wear moment in the post-war era. He was also one of the first Italian designers to leave Florence to set up shop in Milan, paving the way for Milan Fashion Week.

In the book, “Walter Albini: Style in Fashion,” published in 1988, Gianni Versace said, “There were many things about Albini that I loved: his frenetic creativity, the way he wanted more than anything else, to make women elegant and timeless.”

Photo credit: Alfa Castaldi