"While we greatly admire Giovanni's creative talents, Tapestry is committed to an environment where every individual feels respected and at times his behaviour fell short of these standards," Tapestry, formerly Coach, said in a statement.

Asked if there had been complaints about Morelli, a spokesperson said the company declined to comment beyond its statement.

Tapestry said Morelli's resignation was effective immediately.

The company said it has started a search for a successor to Morelli, who was appointed Stuart Weitzman's creative director in May 2017. He succeeded Stuart Weitzman, the brand's founder and now its chairman. Stuart Weitzman is the smallest of Tapestry's three businesses by sales.

Morelli's departure comes just months after another high profile designer, Guess Inc co-founder Paul Marciano, was relieved of his day-to-day responsibilities pending the completion of a probe into accusations of improper conduct.

Tapestry shares were unchanged in extended trading on Monday.

(Reporting by Nivedita Balu in Bengaluru; Editing by Leslie Adler)