Knott retains the Cerruti 1881 post as part of his new remit and will also continue to design his own labels. He previously worked at Louis Féraud, Krizia and Yves Saint Laurent, according to WGSN.

"Jean-Paul has proven his understanding of the Cerruti heritage and lifestyle with his work on Cerruti 1881 and we look forward to him developing our main collections," said Cerruti CEO Philippe Cleach. "We wish Nicolas the best in his future endeavours."

The appointment of Knott this spring was part of the revamp of the fashion house under MatlinPatterson Fund, which acquired it last year.