Sabato De Sarno appointed Gucci’s new creative director

Italian designer Sabato De Sarno has been appointed as Gucci’s new creative director – and will launch his first collection during next September’s Milan Fashion Week, Gucci and parent company Kering have announced.

e Sarno has previously worked for Prada, Dolce & Gabbana and Valentino, where he was most recently Fashion Director overseeing the men’s and women’s collections.

“I am delighted to have Sabato join Gucci as the House’s new Creative Director, one of the most influential positions in the luxury experience,” said Gucci CEO Marco Bizzarri, citing his experience “with a number of Italy’s most prestigious luxury fashion houses.”

There was much speculation in the fashion world as to who would succeed Alessandro Michele after he unexpectedly stepped down from that role last fall after spending almost eight years redefining the brand’s codes with gender-defying, romantic and eclectic looks.

Like Michele when he was promoted from the internal team in 2015, De Sarno is relatively unknown in the wider fashion world, having mostly worked behind the scenes.

De Sarno, a native of Naples, will join Gucci once he has completed his current commitments and will be responsible for all of the brand’s collections: women’s, men’s, leather goods, accessories and lifestyle.

Meanwhile, the Gucci collections, including the women’s Fall-Winter 2023-24 collection, which will be presented in Milan next month, will be designed by the in-house team.

De Sarno said he was “touched and excited to bring my creative vision to the brand,” which he said was “able to welcome and appreciate the values ​​I believe in.”