Following the surprise departure of genius chief designer Alessandro Michele, a Valentino man is now following in his footsteps.
New at Gucci: Sabato De Sarno.Courtesy of GUCCI by Riccardo Raspa
Apparently, decisions at the luxury group Kering are not put off for the long term. Especially not when it comes to such an important brand as Gucci.
After surprisingly splitting up with creative director Alessandro Michele about two months ago, Gucci announced on Saturday morning who will take on the role going forward.
“Gucci and Kering are pleased to announce that Sabato De Sarno will serve as creative director for the house,” reads the official statement. He continued: “In his new role, De Sarno will lead the House’s design studio, reporting to Marco Bizzarri, President and CEO of Gucci. He is responsible for defining and executing the house’s creative vision for the women’s, men’s, leather goods, accessories and lifestyle collections.”
Sabato De Sarno can already look back on a long career in the fashion industry. Most recently he worked as Fashion Director at Valentino, where he had been loyal to for over 13 years. He previously worked for Prada and Dolce & Gabbana. However, as the new Gucci creative director, De Sarno is inheriting a difficult legacy.
His predecessor had renewed the brand from the ground up and had been celebrated worldwide for his daring, flamboyant designs. The conflict between the designer and the management was decisive for his departure, it is said unofficially. Michele had spoken out against the high-frequency output of at least four main collections a year. He was also able to implement this concept during the lockdown. Apparently, returning to the usual industry cycle after Corona was no longer an option for him.
Meanwhile, Sabato De Sarno will present his first collection at Milan Fashion Week in September. Until then, Gucci collections will continue to be designed by the in-house design team.