When brand agent Lucio Di Rosa left Versace in 2020 to work in-house for Dolce & Gabbana, Donatella blocked him on WhatsApp and went no contact for three years. (For context, they had previously texted each other nearly every day.)

“The entire community that I had created at Versace followed me at Dolce,” Di Rosa recalls to Fashionista. “Donatella was furious.”

Her actions may sound petty, but when you understand what Di Rosa brings to the table, they seem more valid: The “celebrity fashion matchmaker” is a pro at building relationships with VIP clients and has a keen eye for finding the right dress from the right brand for the right celebrity. There’s a reason he was trusted to work in Versace’s Celebrities, VIPs and Haute Couture Clients Relations department for over 14 years. Of course Donatella would be upset about losing him. (She’s since unblocked him and has resumed their daily texts.) 

And for what it’s worth, he remembers his entire Versace career quite fondly (save for the time he got screamed at for dressing two redheads at the 2015 Oscars — but that’s a story for another day). Working at Versace was a lifelong dream of Di Rosa’s since he was a pre-teen. “I was 12 or 13. That’s when my Versace obsession started,” he shares. He was enamored by the leather, studs, gold stars, bold prints and flamboyant aesthetic.

In college, he studied Marketing and Communications with a concentration in Public Relations at the London School of Economics, and landed a post-grad internship at Giorgio Armani. He stayed there for three years, first working in its press office before later transferring to its editorial requests department. 

“I think [Armani] was the perfect school,” he says. “You know how to behave in every situation […] in front of the press, in front of stars, in front of everybody, in front of Mr. Armani himself. The day you walk into that company, there is a strict system that you have to follow if you want to succeed.”

Then, Armani’s head of communications moved to Versace and took Di Rosa with her; he was placed in the press office. The first time he met Donatella was four months in: “She comes into the office smoking a cigarette. It was four o’clock in the afternoon, but I was alone. She says, ‘You must be the new one.’ She introduced herself and said, ‘Very nice to meet you. I think from tomorrow on you’re going to move to the other building.'” That would be the VIP office.

His first major project was assisting in dressing seven actresses for the 2006 Oscars. “I think it was one of the most anxious and tense times of my entire life,” he laughs. “It was a crazy year for Versace.” Di Rosa stayed in the VIP office from that point on, working his way up to the head of the department. “The 14 years that I spent in Versace served as a very, very incredible school of experiences,” he says. “The speed with which all these things were accomplished […] was just nonstop. It was like a rollercoaster, but in a good way.”

Naturally, all good things must come to an end: In 2020, Di Rosa was approached by Dolce & Gabbana, at the height of the brand’s racism controversy. All of his friends told him he was “crazy” to consider joining the company, he recalls. But in his view, “I saw an opportunity in the sense of restoring and fixing a brand that was damaged,” he says. “The more everyone was telling me [it couldn’t be saved], the more I was inclined to do it. I could see that there was a potential that [Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana] were sitting on, but they didn’t realize they had it.”

So he took the job, and (more or less) restored Dolce & Gabbana’s image and reputation. He helped launch the brand’s Alta Moda, rebuild its red carpet presence and repair its relationship with celebrities, stylists and publicists. 

“I learned crisis management in the best possible way that I could at Dolce,” he expresses. “I was basically testing myself and put my own reputation at risk. But I did it because I felt something. I think there was a lot of miscommunication. A lot of things were said in the wrong way. It wasn’t fixed immediately. But the product, the DNA, the history of the brand in fashion history, they all had it there. So I brought all these [core elements] back. Eventually, there was consistency in what we were doing.”

He accomplished what he set out to do at Dolce & Gabbana, but then found himself at a standstill about his next steps. “I was like, ‘What am I going to do now? Am I going to go to another company?’ Louis Vuitton came forward, Chanel came forward, and I was like, I really think I’ve got so much to give back, not just to one company, but to different people, different clients.”

So in 2023, he branched off on his own and launched LDR22, a strategic branding agency with offices in Los Angeles, Milan and, most recently, New York City. The company is built on what Di Rosa does best — matching the right fashion brands with the proper talent. Its services include celebrity activations (red carpet dressing, VIP product placement, talent scouting), digital influencer strategy, tailor-made events, campaign production and brand identity development. 

The New York opening coincided with LDR22’s recent expansion of services via a new international corporate and editorial press office.

“I remember talking with my L.A. staff and they were like, ‘Don’t open another showroom. Don’t do it,” he laughs. But multiple clients were begging him to expand his offerings, so he gave in. 

On paper, LDR22 doesn’t sound that different from any other branding agency. In person, its competitive edge becomes glaringly clear: Di Rosa noticed how most branding agencies lean into corporate culture, with their showrooms filled with DHL boxes, desks and computers. LDR22 flips the script by taking a homey and communal approach: All of its locations are warm and inviting, featuring stylish, comfortable furniture and scenic views. 

“When you walk in, you feel a part of my home,” he says. “Of course, you see dresses, you see the product, but the product is [displayed] in a way that blends into the whole atmosphere and the whole experience. […] I’m kind of a bridge between the U.S. mentality and the European culture.”

Despite concerns that his non-traditional approach to VIP relations may not resonate, LDR22 immediately took off and has yet to slow down. Di Rosa credits part of this to his supportive community of stylists and publicists who quickly and gleefully helped him find new clients. Today, LDR22’s roster includes Tod’s, Pamella Roland, Retrofete, Calzedonia and Georges Hobeika, as well as several smaller, emerging brands like Des Phemmes. 

“It was a very, very, very tiny Italian label,” he shares of the latter. “But I could feel there was a really strong place for it in Los Angeles.” So he worked with its founder, Salvo Rizza, to land VIP placements and grow its relevance outside of the Italian market. In the 10 months since they began working together, Des Phemmes has been worn by Anne Hathaway, Gwen Stefani, Blackpink’s Lisa and Dua Lipa.

“If I see potential, I know that they will be able to succeed,” he says of his client vetting process. “Until I find the right match, I don’t say yes.” Still, he may start working with a smaller brand for free if that potential is there — “only for young girls and guys who are willing to succeed and enter this industry,” he says.

Di Rosa is also selective when choosing his staff. Most importantly, he looks for employees who are passionate and trust his vision. He describes the company as “a very beautiful working community that gets along and shares the same vision.”

Another way LDR22 sets itself apart is in the way it develops relationships with clients. “I just don’t come in, take your dresses and put it on celebrities,” he explains. “If you are a client, you will always be able to talk to me and I will want to talk to you at least once every month or month and a half to understand we are doing the right thing.”

So what’s next for the agency? For one, Di Rosa isn’t opening any additional showrooms. (Then again, he didn’t plan to expand into New York, so who knows how long that will hold true?) He’s also done taking on more clients, for now. “I’m just waiting for one client to sign in the L.A. showroom and I will close the door,” he says. He prides himself on having the bandwidth to focus on each brand individually and be able to make himself available when needed. Increasing his roster could jeopardize that, and it’s simply not something he’s willing to give up. 

Di Rosa is also evolving his brand-building strategy to keep up with industry shifts, and in fact plans to pivot away from red carpet placements, due to the rise of pay-for-play relationships and and ambassadorships. Instead, he’s exploring hospitality, food, beverage and interiors. He’s already accomplished a successful collaboration between spirits brand Campari and actor Mads Mikkelsen. 

“This company is involved in doing way more than it used to do,” he says. “When I get a client signed, I look at the whole perception of it, which includes social media, who they’re addressing, what kind of magazines you’re dealing with and what kind of initiatives and events they do. […] We focus on one thing at a time, […] but it’s the way to success.”

Does he still see himself as a celebrity fashion matchmaker? “Yes, in the beginning,” he says. “Now, it’s a little bit more.”

Do you have an emerging brand you want to share with Fashionista readers? Jumpstart your business with our affordable digital offerings.

#039Celebrity #Fashion #Matchmaker039 #Lucia #Rosa #Rewriting #Brand #Relations #Playbook