Certainly one of style’s largest query marks has been answered: On Saturday, Gucci introduced that Sabato De Sarno would be part of the model as artistic director. De Sarno, who was the Trend Director at Valentino, takes the spot two months after the shock departure of Alessandro Michele final November, after being plucked from the home’s personal atelier in 2015 to guide Gucci to document income and a geek-chic aesthetic that permeated fashionable tradition far past style’s typical attain.
“I’m deeply honored to tackle the position as Artistic Director of Gucci,” De Sarno mentioned within the press launch. “I’m proud to affix a Home with such a unprecedented historical past and heritage, that over time has been in a position to welcome and cherish values I imagine in. I’m touched and excited to contribute my artistic imaginative and prescient for the model.”
De Sarno’s first assortment will probably be spring 2024, slated to be proven at Milan Trend Week in September. Like Michele, he’ll oversee ladies’s, males’s, leather-based items, equipment, and way of life collections for the model. De Sarno, an Italian raised in Naples, held roles at Prada and Dolce & Gabbana earlier than becoming a member of Valentino, the place he labored his approach as much as Trend Director. Whereas it’s too quickly to say what De Sarno’s collections may appear like, his background overseeing males’s and ladies’s collections at Valentino, which is widely known for its messages of inclusivity and youth baked into polished, color-forward ready-to-wear and couture, could also be a touch.
And his use of the phrase “heritage.” If Michele’s Gucci was a joyful mishmash of kinds and concepts from throughout completely different cultures and historic durations, De Sarno’s Gucci will nearly actually be extra subdued. Gucci mum or dad firm Kering has seen immense success with manufacturers like Saint Laurent and Bottega Veneta, which domesticate a sense of “stealth wealth,” or understated classics like tailoring, conventional outerwear, and ladylike purses.
Gucci CEO Marco Bizzari additionally emphasised De Sarno’s alternative to mine Gucci’s wealthy historical past, saying within the launch, “Having labored with quite a lot of Italy’s most famous luxurious style homes, he brings with him an enormous and related expertise. I’m sure that by way of Sabato’s deep understanding and appreciation for Gucci’s distinctive legacy, he’ll lead our artistic groups with a particular imaginative and prescient that may assist write this thrilling subsequent chapter, reinforcing the Home’s style authority whereas capitalizing on its wealthy heritage.”
“With Sabato De Sarno on the artistic helm,” added Kering Chairman and CEO Francois-Henri Pinault, “we’re assured that the Home will proceed each to affect style and tradition by way of extremely fascinating merchandise and collections, and to carry a singular and modern perspective to fashionable luxurious.”
Gucci has not but confirmed De Sarno’s begin date, however he’s anticipated to start his new job quickly.
Supply: elle