Sabato De Sarno - Designer

[yslforever]

Speaking of accessories, remember the news of that veteran YSL bag designer who got asked from Bellettini to join Gucci to come up with new bags for the brand? I guess it was August 2024...it's been almost 6 months and there have been no major bag releases apart from the Gucci B and the Blondie that were designed prior to the guy coming. Clear example of terrible internal management. Even YSL without the designer came up with a greater amount of new bag designs...
The east west with colored handle Bamboo bags shown on the runway in September seemed to be quite acclaimed from the fashion pack...why didn't they release it in advance, maybe during the holiday season?

I think they might have delayed the new bag releases so they aren’t associated with Ancora

 

[NoInvite]

My king

 

[FashionPower]

If I were Kering, I would sue him for using that patented Gucci Ancora red shade for that IG post without permission!
That color is Gucci's, not yours...
LOL

 

[Lola701]

Call me crazy but I would put Alessandro Dell Acqua at the helm of Gucci.
He can put N21 on pause.

 

[Rigida]

The most memorable thing from his tenure for me is Mina’s Ancora remix lol

 

[Xone]

And to think he was just parading around with the most ostentatious Gucci bag he could find. Perhaps it was a parting gift?

For me that is strange, last month he was in Gucci head to toe with an executive and now he didnt even "allegedly" was involved in the fw25 collection?...that is weird...

 

[yslforever]

The most memorable thing from his tenure for me is Mina’s Ancora remix lol

Not Daria ? she oozed raw sensuality like we never saw after … for a while I dreamt of skinny dipping in the Chateau Marmount pool with a gold ingot on a necklace

 

[Frederic01]

You can't help but feel a little bad for him. It's obvious it did not end well for him + Kering. But honestly, he was so arrogant in the position and did not make enough of a mark of the brand, even in the face of criticism and advice. His designs were not terrible, some of them were actually good, but he needed the right people to edit his vision down and refine the overall strategy.

They should have given Pierpaolo's other right hand man a chance. Maybe he was the more talented one of the bunch, who knows? Gabriele Cusimano, I think his name is.

Sabato, if he ever comes back to fashion, needs to learn to be more strong in his vision and not let all his friends like Zanola (sp?) ruin his work with cringey marketing and communications strategies. He has potential to make an impact, but with a stronger focus and less of these friends.

 

[FashionPower]

List of people from Sabato's team who are (allegedly) going to be laid off / leave after his departure:
- Riccardo Zanola, artistic director
- Francesco Mari, Sabato's right hand in the studio (he brought him at Gucci)

I wonder if Buzzoni is gonna get kicked out, he was appointed on September 2024, when Cantino was deputy CEO, so I guess the appointment was approved by Cantino himself.

 

[BalkaniStaCouture]

Yes, don’t forget he brought back Daria from retirement! Oh Daria ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

 

[Olaffo]

Zero surprise, zero regrets, zero talent.

I’m betting on this guy from Bally. And Lee to JS.

 

[PDFSD]

ok you guys xmas 2025 might come way !!!!!!!!!! early this year i know we just in Feb but ....:-)

see i told you guys last night :-)

basically the ceo called the design heads last night for a last minute meeting to explain next week/days leading to the show will be with out ancora boy.

 

[FashionPower]

see i told you guys last night :-)

basically the ceo called the design heads last night for a last minute meeting to explain next week/days leading to the show will be with out ancora boy.

Thank you for all the insights!
You're the best! Keep on spillin'

 

[FashionPower]

History repeating itself, also Frida got laid off one month prior to the fashion show

 

[tourbillions]

wait what????

 

[LadyJunon]

Full article from WWD:

BREAKING: Sabato De Sarno Exits Gucci
The designer had joined the brand in 2023, succeeding Alessandro Michele.

By Luisa Zargani
February 6, 2025, 2:28am

MILAN – Gucci revealed in a brief statement Thursday morning that it was ending its collaboration with creative director Sabato De Sarno. The fall fashion show in Milan on February 25 will be presented by the Gucci design office.

The new artistic direction will be announced in due time.

“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’s chief executive officer.

Francesca Bellettini, Kering deputy CEO in charge of brand development, said: “I sincerely thank Sabato for his loyalty and professionalism. I am proud of the work that has been done to further strengthen Gucci’s fundamentals. Stefano and the new artistic direction will continue to build on this and to guide Gucci towards renewed fashion leadership and sustainable growth.”

De Sarno’s exit comes amid a flurry of creative shifts roiling Europe’s heritage houses, revealed only a few days after Kim Jones announced his resignation at Dior Homme.

Fendi has yet to announce the successor to Jones, who last October stepped down after four years as its artistic director of haute couture, ready-to-wear and fur collections for women.

Thursday’s announcement comes on the eve of Kering revealing its fourth-quarter and full-year results on Feb. 11.

De Sarno’s first show took place during Milan Fashion Week in September 2023. The designer, who was hired by then-president and CEO Marco Bizzarri, was raised in Naples, and began his career at Prada in 2005, moving to Dolce & Gabbana, before joining Valentino in 2009. At the Rome-based brand, he held positions of increasing responsibility, finally being appointed fashion director overseeing both men’s and women’s collections.

De Sarno was expected to unveil Gucci’s cruise 2026 collection with a show in Florence on May 15, paying tribute to the city where the brand was founded in 1921.

De Sarno’s first cruise collection was held in London last May at Tate Modern with guests including Dua Lipa, Demi Moore, Paul Mescal, and Kate and Lila Moss.

Gucci is in the midst of a turnaround under Cantino, who rose to the role in January, succeeding Jean-François Palus.

As the luxury industry has been facing a slowdown in spending, Kering’s marquee brand has been struggling with declining revenues for a few seasons and De Sarno’s collections have been met with mixed reviews. In the third quarter, organic sales at Gucci declined 25 percent, versus analysts’ predictions for a 21 percent drop. In reported terms, revenues fell 26 percent to 1.64 billion euros.

Gucci has been pursuing an elevation strategy, and, as reported, management is pinning its hopes on the introduction of new handbag lines, alongside a collection of ready-to-wear essentials building on De Sarno’s best-performing designs so far, a shorter time to market and a streamlined distribution and offer.

WWD

 

[mteb123]

Yes, don’t forget he brought back Daria from retirement! Oh Daria ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

This was the only highlight… I repeat the only highlight.

 

[DK92]

Well, in fact I think that Sabato's work was nothing exceptional. But I think it's important to say that people were unnecessarily hard on him, but things are as they should be!

And for those celebrating, be careful, because nothing is so bad that it can't get worse! We've seen this movie several times before...

 

[ellearchivist]

 

[blueorchid]

Yes, don’t forget he brought back Daria from retirement! Oh Daria ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

But for what? He brought her out of retirement to get our hopes up... for nothing. Unforgiveable!!