Gucci announced today that it is parting ways with Sabato De Sarno just a little over two years after he was appointed creative director. “I would like to express my deep gratitude to Sabato for his passion and dedication to Gucci. I sincerely appreciate how he honored Gucci’s craftsmanship and heritage with such commitment,” said Stefano Cantino, Gucci CEO, in a statement. The fall 2025 show scheduled for February 25 at Milan Fashion Week will be presented by the in-house design team.
As a name brand, Gucci is one of the most recognizable luxury houses on the planet. Though its history of the highest of highs (most notably under the stewardship of Tom Ford and, later, Alessandro Michele) is infused with soul-searching interludes. In other words, it’s a brand that people love, but it seems to take the right creativity to unlock its potential. That’s not always easy.
Before he was hired at Gucci, De Sarno served as the fashion director of men’s and women’s collections at Valentino after earlier stints at Prada and Dolce & Gabbana. Despite that experience, he had never stepped into the spotlight as a creative director before. Compared to the maximalist work of his immediate predecessor, Michele, De Sarno brought something of a sleek and refined minimalism to the brand. Commentators couldn’t help but wonder if he was brought in to capture a “quiet luxury” feeling, somewhat reminiscent of Gucci’s French leather goods rival Hermès. Upon his hiring, Gucci’s then-CEO, Marco Bizzarri, charged De Sarno with bringing back “heritage,” “craftsmanship,” and “taste” to the brand.
Emphasizing his experience as a technician and a designer who did more than just assemble mood boards, he showed collections full of sleek, wearable clothing. He attempted to recontextualize Gucci classics, like the Jackie and Blondie bags, for a new age. And, of course, there was the love of that specific shade of Gucci “Ancora” red.
The online fashion set was never quite impressed with his efforts. Though, their opinions don’t tend to matter as long as customers keep buying. But according to the most recent Gucci financial data, that was not the case. Notably, the Kering-owned brand is in the midst of other major changes as its new CEO, Cantino, just began work on January 1.
Of course, this announcement comes during what is shaping up to be history’s largest game of creative director musical chairs. There are new designers at the helm of Chanel, Maison Margiela, Celine, Tom Ford, Dries Van Noten, Givenchy, and Calvin Klein, with widely-spread rumors that there are more shake-ups on the horizon. Arguably, this round started when Gucci parted ways with Michele back in late 2022. Michele has since landed at Valentino where he replaced De Sarno’s former boss Pierpaolo Piccioli. A merry-go-round does, after all, go in a circle.
