Donatella, assumed a leading role in the company and chaired its board of directors. Described by fashion retail entrepreneur Roberto Devorik as
"a rare catalyst for design talent," Donatella Girombelli continued her husband's policy of employing top designers to create lines for the Genny labels and have included a who's who of top designers like Stefano Dolce, Domenico Gabbana, Alan Cleaver, and Keith Varty. The position of Genny and its other labels were not quite cutting edge, dramatically avant-garde or barrier-breaking, but rather top quality ready-to-wear clothing with a powerful design element. This style was what led to the company's widespread success in the international market. By the mid-1990s Genny produced over two million items under its different labels, which were distributed worldwide through the company's nearly two dozen freestanding boutiques and in better department stores in the U.S., Middle East, Europe, and Japan. A growing number of carefully controlled licensing agreements encompassed such products as eyewear, fragrances, bridal wear, leather handbags, belts, and shoes sold worldwide. Heading into the later 1990s, Genny had undergone restructuring from top to bottom. New designers were brought in and others let go; the new faces were Americans Rebecca Moses and Richard Tyler, the longtime Byblos design team of Cleaver and Varty had been gone, and Donatella Girombelli focused on a more American feel for Genny's women’s wear. Commenting to Women's Wear Daily, Girombelli said she aimed for
a "succinct combination of straightforward American sportswear and Italian flair." Next John Bartlett came who signed with the Italian firm in 1997 to produce his existing menswear designs as well as to create a new women’s wear line. In the new century, Genny and its varied holdings seemed to have a revolving door with designers. The latest were Martine Sitbon and Sandy Dalal at Byblos, and Girombelli had approached Lawrence Steele to sign on as a consultant to freshen the Genny labels. Yet despite Genny Holding's frequent overhauls and team changes, it continues to be a well- known and widely respected Italian fashion firm.
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