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Gucci has found a successor for Alessandro Michele, who left in November 2022 after a seven-year run. Kering and Gucci announced in a joint press release on Saturday that Sabato De Sarno will present his debut runway collection at Milan Women’s Fashion Week in September.
In his new role, De Sarno, who joins from Valentino, will lead the house’s design studio, reporting to Marco Bizzarri, president and CEO of Gucci, with the responsibility for defining and expressing the house’s creative vision across the women’s, men’s, leather goods, accessories and lifestyle collections.
Following Michele’s exit, the rumour mill went into overdrive with big-name designers circulating. De Sarno, on the other hand, doesn’t have star power. Like Michele when he became Gucci’s creative director, De Sarno has no previous leadership position as creative director.
The 39-year-old Italian designer joins from Valentino, where he was most recently fashion director overseeing both men’s and women’s collections. Before joining Valentino in 2009, he worked at Dolce & Gabbana and Prada. He will start in his new position as soon as he has completed all his obligations in his current role.
Jean Vigneron, consultant at executive search company Egon Zehnder, says: “Kering has a track record of betting on designers who are unknown to the public. Think of Alessandro Michele when he was named Gucci creative director and Matthieu Blazy, who was number two at Bottega Veneta before getting the top job. Smaller houses highly benefit from hiring designers who already have a community, while megabrands already have sufficient attractive power. We can assume that the arrival of Sabato De Sarno dovetails with Kering’s strategy for Gucci to elevate the brand and shift to a more classic and formal silhouette.” This will mark a departure from Michele's maximalist aesthetics. Having worked closely with Valentino creative director Pierpaolo Piccioli for over a decade, De Sarno has contributed to the brand's poetic style.
Marco Bizzarri, president and CEO of Gucci, said: “Having worked with a number of Italy’s most renowned luxury fashion houses, he brings with him a vast and relevant experience. I am certain that through Sabato’s deep understanding and appreciation for Gucci’s unique legacy, he will lead our creative teams with a distinctive vision that will help write this exciting next chapter, reinforcing the house’s fashion authority while capitalising on its rich heritage.”
“One hundred and two years after Guccio Gucci opened his first store in Florence, Gucci remains one of the most iconic, prominent and influential luxury houses in the world,” said Kering chairman and CEO François-Henri Pinault. “With Sabato De Sarno at the creative helm, we are confident that the house will continue both to influence fashion and culture through highly desirable products and collections and to bring a singular and contemporary perspective to modern luxury.”
De Sarno said in a statement: “I am proud to join a house with such an extraordinary history and heritage that, over the years, has been able to welcome and cherish values I believe in.”
This comes as Kering is to publish its 2022 annual earnings on 15 February. Gucci sales reached €9.7 billion in 2021, generating about 55 per cent of Kering’s revenue, and 69 per cent of the group’s EBIT. Gucci sales in the first nine months of 2022 grew 8 per cent to €7.7 billion. Analyst consensus is Gucci will grow below 5 per cent at constant exchange rates in 2022, to around €10.5 billion, well below the best-in-class. Analysts suggested in November that Kering should move quickly regarding the appointment: “It’s never great to have investors wondering what’s next,” said HSBC managing director and global head of consumer & retail equity research Erwan Rambourg. This will be a transition year for Gucci; De Sarno’s first collection will be for Spring/Summer 2024.
The group detailed a new strategy for Gucci during its Capital Markets Day in June last year, including a full return to the fashion calendar, further expansion across high-end categories and expansion to menswear and travel, as well as the appointment of Maria Cristina Lomanto as Gucci EVP, brand general manager. Last summer, Gucci tapped industry veteran Laurent Cathala to lead Gucci fashion in China. Kering’s management also shared a mid-term target for Gucci revenues to rise to €15 billion.
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