Sabato De Sarno - Designer, Creative Director of Gucci

[tourbillions]

vauthier or pilati for gucci pls.. I think they need to hire someone with a strong vision and not just half ***ed stories about their first gucci coat.

 

[Olaffo]

I’d die if they gonna sack Sabato and hire PPP…😂

 

[LadyJunon]

I’d die if they gonna sack Sabato and hire PPP…😂

The suits at Kering are probably demented enough to pull such a thing.

 

[plentyofhorns]

purse forum review of the platform loafers. lol that they are already offering to make alterations

 

[LadyJunon]

purse forum review of the platform loafers. lol that they are already offering to make alterations

View attachment 1259685

I expected that, seeing the way lots of the models were walking at the show. The platform appears to be very tall (65mm at the toe, 90mm at the heel) and narrow. The platform heeled loafers from AW'24 seem to be easier to walk in despite the added arch.

 

[yslforever]

Fashion Merry-Go-Round Series: 1-More changes at Gucci and Balenciaga

Creative director changes are on the cards at Kering’s Gucci and Balenciaga, and at other brands, Miss Tweed has found out.

misstweed.com

The arrival of Italian designer Alessandro Michele at Valentino, replacing longstanding Pierpaolo Piccioli, as predicted by Miss Tweed on Monday and confirmed on Thursday, is one of many creative tectonic shifts that will take place among major fashion brands over the next few months, industry insiders say.


The downturn in luxury spending in the United States and Europe, coupled with weaker than expected demand in China, is forcing controlling shareholders to take drastic action and hire new talent in the hope that this will help their brands regain luster and traction.


These are tough but necessary decisions in the current economic environment. The post-pandemic boom is well behind us. Interest rates and inflation remain high. Consumers seek value for money and are reluctant to splurge on brands that lack innovation and no longer feel relevant. Hence, creative director changes are on the cards at Kering's Gucci and Balenciaga, and at other brands, Miss Tweed has found out.


Reading this will not please investors, but Kering will probably have to part ways with Sabato De Sarno this autumn if the 40-year-old designer is unable to create excitement around the brand and make its sales rise again by then, industry sources predict. It would take some time for a replacement to make a difference - assuming Kering finds a suitable one - further weakening the group.


Many investors question Kering's growth strategy and find its current governance puzzling. Kering's share price is 40 percent lower than a year ago and less than half its peak in summer 2021. It is the worst performer in the Premier League of listed luxury groups. François Pinault, the 87-year-old father of the Kering CEO, François-Henri Pinault, is concerned about the future of the group he founded as a timber company in 1962 and, rightfully so, people close to him ask: What is his son doing?


Fixing Gucci needs to be Kering's number one priority. Gucci accounts for the bulk of the group's revenue and profits. It is its cash cow, as is Louis Vuitton for its arch-rival LVMH. The brand steadily declined after the pandemic when Marco Bizzarri, who was CEO, lost the talent that made the brand the industry's biggest success story, more than doubling its size between 2015 and 2019.


The exodus was partly a result of Bizzarris authoritarian management style, as Miss Tweed reported last year. As performance worsened and tension rose, Bizzarri sacked Alessandro Michele in November 2022. Bizzarri got the boot himself seven months later, in July 2023, as Kering realized he was no longer the right boss for the brand.


Last year, investors realized with stupefaction that Kering had not planned Michele's or Bizzarri's succession. The group hurriedly hired Sabato De Sarno, who was not their first choice, and appointed Group Managing Director Jean-François Palus as the new CEO of Gucci. Palus is no brand-builder or storyteller, but he is the most trusted friend and associate of François-Henri Pinault. Palus was supposed to be interim CEO, but Pinault said at its annual results in February that he was not planning to replace him for now.


That position may not be tenable for long.
.........

Exactly what I said in the other thread about the father being pissed off by his son... with this article that's the 5th time I hear about it.
There will be large dinner parties for the Venezia Biennale, the Pinault Foundation, its museums in Venice, Kering and the brands, in 10 days in Venice. It's a shitshow: a Gucci dinner was planned but then cancelled but then rebranded as a secound Foundation dinner, then it became an YSL. So there will be an YSL one and a Foundation P one but they are wondering if they need to set up other dinners for Gucci/BV/Balenciaga again etc etc..

 

[Frederic01]

Would they really let him go that early into his contract? Aren’t the contracts signed for a minimum period of three years?

 

[Olaffo]

Would they really let him go that early into his contract? Aren’t the contracts signed for a minimum period of three years?

To the best of my knowledge LVMH and Burberry have minimum 3-years. Antonioli seems not to bother (LdSS left after few months), Kering might have flexible contracts renewed each year. It really depends on the magnitude of disaster, sometimes personal reasons (example of Blumarine's designer leaving for personal reasons after 1 season) etc. What I'm sure of is that if SdSS won't deliver hard numbers he will get sacked in no time, Pinault is famous for antagonising layoffs style...

 

[donyan]

SdSS

Sabato de Sarno Sernin ?

 

[Lola701]

vauthier or pilati for gucci pls.. I think they need to hire someone with a strong vision and not just half ***ed stories about their first gucci coat.

I think it’s better if we don’t mention the Pilati name in anything that involves Kering. I wouldn’t be surprised to know that a decade later, the feeling is mutual between the two parties lol.

Would they really let him go that early into his contract? Aren’t the contracts signed for a minimum period of three years?

For now we are speculating and it’s all speculations.
At worst, Sabato wasn’t expensive so they can let him go, erase the non-competition agreement and pay him what he is due.

At best, they can offer him the same position he had with PPP (even if it may be crazy) at Valentino.

The problem is that his work has not had time to perform yet. So, all those articles are not based on something substantial that can jeopardize his position.

Given Kering’s involvement with Valentino, I don’t think non-competition agreements questions are relevant here. But I think there will be more clarity next year at the Assemblée Générale.

 

[PDFSD]

I think it’s better if we don’t mention the Pilati name in anything that involves Kering. I wouldn’t be surprised to know that a decade later, the feeling is mutual between the two parties lol.



For now we are speculating and it’s all speculations.
At worst, Sabato wasn’t expensive so they can let him go, erase the non-competition agreement and pay him what he is due.

At best, they can offer him the same position he had with PPP (even if it may be crazy) at Valentino.

The problem is that his work has not had time to perform yet. So, all those articles are not based on something substantial that can jeopardize his position.

Given Kering’s involvement with Valentino, I don’t think non-competition agreements questions are relevant here. But I think there will be more clarity next year at the Assemblée Générale.

are you saying : him the same position he had with PPP (even if it may be crazy) at Valentino.? with A.Michele now at Valentino ?

 

[Kanzai]

Gucci need a CO-CD or at least a menswear designer. Haider and Pilati are always the best candidates for me but I won't let them design for Gucci because it would be a waste considering Kering is currently a hot mess, Haider will definitely refuse a big house. While Pilati, as Lola said, it's best that his name and "Kering" should never be in the same sentence, lol. If Pilati is in the East, Kering will be in the West. If Stefano goes North, Kering will go South.

Then i think Lucas Ossendrijve would be a very good choice, Damir Doma too.

 

[Lola701]

are you saying : him the same position he had with PPP (even if it may be crazy) at Valentino.? with A.Michele now at Valentino ?

He was PPP’s number 2 at Valentino. He can be his number 2 at Gucci. It would be a battle of ego but I don’t know if it would be for the better of the studio.
The good thing is that he seems quite discreet and used to the corporate machine. If he leaves KERING on good terms, he may have more opportunities than Stefano.

 

[Lola701]

Gucci need a CO-CD or at least a menswear designer. Haider and Pilati are always the best candidates for me but I won't let them design for Gucci because it would be a waste considering Kering is currently a hot mess, Haider will definitely refuse a big house.

My ultimate dream for Haider would be to take over Hermes. I know it’s a big house he would work for. He is already friend with Pierre Hardy and the whole Ghesquiere gang. MAS and him worked perfectly at Berluti too.

On paper I would have loved him at Givenchy too but I don’t know if he is cut for that kind of pressure. He has the aesthetic, the skills, the talent. But does he have the desire?

He is literally the most socially present free-agent designer I have ever seen. He is at everybody shows, parties…etc. He is seen at Chanel events, LVMH events…Everywhere!

It’s almost annoying to see him everywhere without substantial work for the world to see.

 

[Nimsay]

Its hard settling down when you got options like Haider. Hes got all the boys and girls after him, once he settles down that thrill will be gone...

 

[Olaffo]

Judging by his Instagram he’s having a time of his life, all the parties, travels, dinners. But ofc I’m annoyed we can’t see his talent and current state of mind apart from on Tilda or Timothee…for me he is ultimate menswear designer and I’ve enjoyed his shows every single time, since his debut. Him at Hermes would be a dream but I feel like he doesn’t care about running any fashion house including his own brand. Probably he will stick to some collabs and that’s it. Shame…

 

[Lola701]

Judging by his Instagram he’s having a time of his life, all the parties, travels, dinners. But ofc I’m annoyed we can’t see his talent and current state of mind apart from on Tilda or Timothee…for me he is ultimate menswear designer and I’ve enjoyed his shows every single time, since his debut. Him at Hermes would be a dream but I feel like he doesn’t care about running any fashion house including his own brand. Probably he will stick to some collabs and that’s it. Shame…

He said in a recent interview that he was « ready » and that the duality between his collaboration got Gaultier and the sportswear brand sparked new things for him…
Then again, we haven’t seen anything since the Gaultier project.

Yes, weirdly, we always have his pieces on the Redcarpet with Frida and Timothée. I would not be surprised to see his work at the Met Gala and the Cannes Film Festival.

I remember back in the day, when Karl made that compliment about him, Anna Della Russo asked him to do Ferre.
At that time, it felt so below him, even more considering that he was put in the « Chanel conversation ». Now, it doesn’t sound that ridiculous as a proposition.

 

[Olaffo]

I remember back in the day, when Karl made that compliment about him, Anna Della Russo asked him to do Ferre.
At that time, it felt so below him, even more considering that he was put in the « Chanel conversation ». Now, it doesn’t sound that ridiculous as a proposition.

I feel like something that bumped him for a long time was this embarrassing f*ck up with Berlutti…I hope he will either join a fashion house or get back to his own namesake brand but there is this legal battle with the Belgian owner of the brand which god knows when will be over…

I feel like he needs 2-4 collections max per year type of house not Dior or Chanel with billion collections per year. That would just be too much pressure and it feels like Haider is at his best when there is SS and FW and that’s it. But at the same time I’d love to see more of his HC after Gaultier’s show…

 

[bc collector]

Anna Della Russo asked him to do Ferre.

Literally, a match made in heaven.
He's always referenced Ferré (and Gigli) quite heavily in his collections, so it would be a smooth job for him.
But I wonder, is there anyone who has the will, money and vision to resuscitate Ferré nowadays? And, more importantly, is there room for GFF's grandiosity in this world of tracksuit-induced aesthetic coma?

 

[ecnerretneerg]

Well I know it will be unpopular opinion but I really like Sarno aesthetics for Gucci…. I need to start to save all the money. And I do like all the campaigns. I respect everybody but I wasn’t Gucci client before and now I definitely am, and a very happy one. So… go Sabato!!!

Is this satire?? Whenever there’s a new post on this thread, I assume its going to be Sabotage’s obituary 😫😫