MILAN, Italy — Former Gucci boss Patrizio di Marco is joining the board of Italian fashion rival Dolce & Gabbana, according to people familiar with the situation.

Di Marco will start at Dolce & Gabbana as soon as next month, said two of the people, who asked not to be identified as the matter is private. His arrival could presage an eventual public offering of the business, one of the people said. Dolce & Gabbana recently hired Gucci’s former head of merchandising and licensing Diana Zanetto, one of Di Marco’s trusted lieutenants, according to one of the people.

Di Marco and a spokeswoman for the Milan-based company declined to comment.

The 53-year-old Di Marco ran Kering SA-owned Gucci for six years, growing sales by nearly two-thirds. He stepped down in December 2014 along with longtime creative director and now wife Frida Giannini after five quarters of little to no growth. Dolce & Gabbana, founded by designers Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana in 1995, has struggled to grow in recent years amid a broader slowdown in luxury demand.

By Andrew Roberts; editors: Matthew Boyle and Thomas Mulier.