Julia Haart is La Perla's new Creative Director

Luxury Italian intimates brand La Perla has appointed Julia Haart its new creative director.

The appointment comes ahead of its launch of a women's ready-to-wear collection for the spring/summer 2017 season. Haart who currently runs an eponymous shoe line, replaces Pedro Lourenco whose contract ended in July. Lourenco was hired by La Perla earlier this year to design its Atelier collection of high-end, made-to-measure clothes.

'Julia comes to La Perla as a trusted advisor, bringing consideration of the female body and experience of wear and beauty as a primary focus,' said chairman Silvio Scaglia in a statement. 'La Perla's spring/summer 2017 collection will be a revolutionary one, not just for our brand but for women's fashion in general, thanks to a strong mix of our atelier's savoir faire, a woman who is extremely talented as a creative director and the best materials in the world. Julia's work is emblematic of the La Perla lifestyle and I am excited to work with her on this new cornerstone of the brand's history.'

In her new role, Haart will oversee La Perla's lingerie, nightwear, beachwear, menswear and accessories lines, as well as the new ready-to-wear collection which will debut during Milan Fashion Week this month. She worked closely with the La Perla design team on its Spring/Summer 2016 and Fall/Winter 2016-2017 accessories collections.

'What we're trying to do with this ready-to-wear collection is to bring something newer to the market. I think women want a new choice, and what I mean by that is I think women have been told their entire lives that you have to suffer for beauty. Well, I don't believe in that, and I would like to give women a new choice,' Haart told Vogue.

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