Considered one of trend’s largest query marks has been answered: On Saturday, Gucci introduced that Sabato De Sarno could be becoming a member of the model as inventive director. De Sarno, who was trend director at Valentino, takes the place two months later the shock departure of Alessandro Michele final Novemberafter being plucked from the home’s personal studio in 2015 to steer Gucci to report earnings and a nerd-chic aesthetic that permeated common tradition effectively past trend’s typical realm.
“I’m deeply honored to tackle the position of Artistic Director of Gucci,” De Sarno mentioned within the press launch. “I’m proud to be a part of a home with such a rare historical past and heritage that over time has been in a position to welcome and nurture the values I imagine in. I’m moved and excited to share my inventive imaginative and prescient for the model to contribute.”
De Sarno’s first assortment shall be launched in spring 2024 and shall be proven throughout Milan Style Week in September. Like Michele, he’ll oversee girls’s, males’s, leather-based items, equipment and life-style collections for the model. De Sarno, an Italian who grew up in Naples, held positions at Prada and Dolce & Gabbana earlier than becoming a member of Valentino, the place he labored his means as much as Style Director. Whereas it is too early to say what De Sarno’s collections may appear to be, his background as accountable for males’s and girls’s collections at Valentino, celebrated for its messages of inclusivity and youth, baked in polished, colourful ready-to -wear and couture are a touch.
And his use of the phrase “heritage.” If Michele’s Gucci was a joyful mishmash of kinds and concepts from totally different cultures and historic intervals, De Sarno’s Gucci will nearly actually be extra subdued. Gucci guardian firm Kering has loved great success with manufacturers corresponding to Saint Laurent and Bottega Veneta, which domesticate a way of “hidden wealth,” or understated classics corresponding to tailoring, conventional outerwear and girls’s purses.
Gucci CEO Marco Bizzari additionally highlighted De Sarno’s alternative to faucet into Gucci’s wealthy historical past, saying within the launch: “He has labored with a few of Italy’s most famous luxurious trend homes and brings with him in depth and related expertise. I’m assured that by means of Sabato’s deep understanding and appreciation of Gucci’s distinctive legacy, he’ll lead our inventive groups with a particular imaginative and prescient that may assist write this thrilling subsequent chapter, strengthening the home’s trend authority and on the identical time advantages from its wealthy heritage.”
“With Sabato De Sarno on the inventive helm,” added Kering Chairman and CEO Francois-Henri Pinault, “we’re assured that the home will proceed to impression trend and tradition by means of extremely sought-after merchandise and collections, and a novel and modern perspective on trendy luxurious.”
Gucci has not but confirmed De Sarno’s begin date, however it’s anticipated that he’ll begin his new job quickly.
Rachel Tashjian is the Style Information Director at Harper’s Bazaar, working on print and digital platforms. She was GK‘s first trend critic, and labored as deputy editor of GARAGE and as a author Self-importance Truthful. She has written for publications together with E book discussion board and Artwork discussion boardand is the creator of the Opulent Suggestions e-newsletter, by invitation solely.