Alessandra Facchinetti named creative director of Tod's Former Valentino creative director Alessandra Facchinetti will head up design at Italian luxury leather goods brand Tod's, effective immediately. Yesterday it was revealed that the Italian designer had left her post at Pinko's Uniqueness label, where she had worked since 2011. Previously she experienced a short-lived and unsuccessful tenure as the creative director of Valentino, succeeding founder Valentino Garavani when he retired in 2007, as well as a design role at Gucci. At Tod's, which is known for its high quality leather goods, she succeeds Derek Lam who left the label last autumn following six years at the brand. READ: Diego Della Valle of Tod's: king of loafers It's a great opportunity and a challenge. I feel very confident; there are many elements that we share. I've always worked for companies paying attention to quality and luxury," Facchinetti told WWD. Diego Della Valle, CEO of the Tod's SpA group, which also includes Hogan, Fay and Roger Vivier, called Facchinetti "an excellent Italian designer who knows about Made in Italy," adding that her being Italian was an "added asset, not a secondary one."