Sabato De Sarno - Designer

[fashionmarketeditor]

Sabato was in NYC working on the collection (for some reason) just this past Monday, my source(s) said the team and Sabato were behaving as if nothing was wrong that day. This was information I received prior to the announcement so I think it is a surprise fire? Seems weird to me to say the upcoming collection will be designed by the studio unless they completely redo whatever work was done already.

Lauren Sherman says he was in New York for pre-casting for the fall show, which would indicate he had no idea he was getting laid off so soon.

 

[jeanclaude]

All I am going to write, in pure Sabato Instagram style is:

FIRED

About Gucci...call me pessimist, but I think it is in a point of no return. Sabato is no longer the problem, but there still is a problem, the new Donald Trump-esque CEO who wants to "Make Gucci great again"!!

But of course, Cantino has not the faintest idea about how to do it. It´s just a disaster in the making...

 

[sunnysideup]

I don’t see Hedi at all. Gucci would enter “The Rock Era” and it’s not that type of brand.

I don't think Kering will rehire HS. It ended on not the best terms at YSL and he's expensive. MGC would be just another disappointment - she's been a flop at Dior for the past few years. Dior, too, is losing its mojo, which was unthinkable some time ago.

 

[Lola701]

It's actually quite funny, because that mindset was the complete opposite of what saved Gucci back in the 90s.
This was Tom Ford's debut collection for Gucci:

And this was his second:

The first collection was so poorly received by the press and the buyers, that Ford and De Sole decided to do a full 180 on the brand's vision and the result was like night-and-day (literally so).

The difference is maybe that Tom indeed had his breakthrough with a very personal collection. FW1995 was very Tom Ford and the SS1995 was very Gucci in a way, as a classic leather goods Italian house.

I think a lot of things have happened since where designers were successful without a critical success and when you believe in your vision and your products, it’s easy to get trapped.

KERING is group where designers have always been quite reactive in a sense that they were working in a constant state of emergency.

What I find so frustrating about ANCORA was that in reality, he had no vision. He wanted to make commercial clothes that would sell. Neither the clothes and bags sold…

 

[Frederic01]

He was fired but he also got €18 million? In three days they negotiated that deal? That’s crazy. Go him! He does not have to work in fashion ever again, and probably he doesn’t desire to after what happened with Gucci and the fashion industry at large. If he comes back to fashion after this debacle, he is crazy.

In Sabato’s defence though, there are not that many people that can successfully generate €10 billion in sales based off a singular aesthetic.

I think at this point it is only Karl Lagerfeld / Virginie Viard, and Alessandro Michele. Even Maria Grazia does not generate those kinds of figures.

In that way, I don’t think any single designer will ever fit Kerings requirements. Hedi and his vision have a €3-5 billion dollar value at maximum. Even with parfum and beauty and couture Celine could not surpass those figures. What makes anyone think he could triple those revenues at Gucci?

If Kering wants to reach those figures they need to spilt everything a la Dior and Louis Vuitton, where each part of the brand is run almost as a mini businesses in their own right.

 

[ICONICA26]

hope he dances the pain away!

Omg lmaooooo

 

[Frederic01]

Also just realised, he's been there for close to two years and he's only put out TWO (and a half) menswear collections? Is that not absolutely mad? And with his background being strong in menswear and Kering having wanted to expand on that category and market as part of his appointment? Make it make sense!

His expertise in menswear is in line with Gucci’s need to build up that category, said one luxury goods analyst, who remarked that De Sarno is the designer responsible for conceiving the VLTN logo at Valentino. “He can build desire for the brand but is not oblivious to merchandising,” the source said.

WWD JANUARY 2023

 

[tourbillions]

He really said "im gonna stay here until im fired". Go ge that cash girl and dance your way home.

 

[JohannesL]

I just realized that the fun of this thread is over! Let's move on and find another vile designer!

 

[FashionPower]

I just realized that the fun of this thread is over! Let's move on and find another vile designer!

We already have the Ludovic de Saint Sernan thread for that...and also Jacquemus!
LOL

 

[GIVENCHYlover]

 

[proseccotabis]

I just realized that the fun of this thread is over! Let's move on and find another vile designer!

I will miss what we had here but see you in the Jacquemus thread lmao

 

[yslforever]

I wish they can hire TWO CDs, one for womenswear and one for menswear, like Hermès, Vuitton (and Dior), so if one performs better than the other, they can put the performing one on the failing segment.

 

[Xone]

He looks happy….

That’s the husband?…

Im sure he feel free and rich with 18 millions hahahaha…so that money is not only for him going out but also i guess to step out for the fw25 collection because it is not posible for the team to redo everything all over…maybe some adjustment and also a new styling…

If he was in nyc doing model castings he was not aware….

I’m wondering if he is gonna sue Kering for wrong termination….

 

[tourbillions]

maybe we are just jelly and he actually has the correct mindset for this industry. He must be very happy to have tried to be on top of Gucci, it wasnt a big success but he is now 18m eu more successful than us.

sometimes you just need to be mid and wait for the suits to fire you before your contract ends.

 

[proseccotabis]

sometimes you just need to be mid and wait for the suits to fire you before your contract ends.

I’ve met people that did that on purpose to get the bucks lol so would not surprise me if ancora boy was advised to do the same

 

[FashionPower]

Guys, 18 mil is way too much for an unknown designer like him, there is no way he was paid off that much for a premature contract termination. Not even legends like Ghesquiere, Karl and Hedi are / were paid that much per year...if Cantino had to pay that much he would have kept Sabato and put him so much pressure (like rejecting all his design proposal and reducing his travel expenses) to force him to leave, simple as that.
Most newly appointed designers are bound with 3 years contract and I am expecting Kering proposed this contract duration to Sabato too. He joined Gucci early 2023 which means he was close to 2 years (66%) of contract. I assume his pay ranged from 500k to 1,5 mil per year, given Gucci's relevance and importance. There is no way he's getting more than 3 mil as per contract termination.

 

[FashionPower]

I wish they can hire TWO CDs, one for womenswear and one for menswear, like Hermès, Vuitton (and Dior), so if one performs better than the other, they can put the performing one on the failing segment.

I like the idea, just like Vuitton:
- Menswear: star designer or renown figure, this can help with boosting brand relevance and sales among people with no fashion knowledge and the designer can push monogram basics appealing tacky / cheap people without devaluing the womenswear offerings / image
- Womenswear: avant garde designer a la Ghesquiere or image curator a la Vaccarello to keep brand image elevated and luxurious with relevance among the high fashion world

At the end of the day, Pharrell's Vuitton is like a Philipp Plein with LV monogram, but LV actual aim is to sell the 9k monogram Speedy P9 and monogram basic pieces with twists to cheap / tacky people.

 

[Xone]

Guys, 18 mil is way too much for an unknown designer like him, there is no way he was paid off that much for a premature contract termination. Not even legends like Ghesquiere, Karl and Hedi are / were paid that much per year...if Cantino had to pay that much he would have kept Sabato and put him so much pressure (like rejecting all his design proposal and reducing his travel expenses) to force him to leave, simple as that.
Most newly appointed designers are bound with 3 years contract and I am expecting Kering proposed this contract duration to Sabato too. He joined Gucci early 2023 which means he was close to 2 years (66%) of contract. I assume his pay ranged from 500k to 1,5 mil per year, given Gucci's relevance and importance. There is no way he's getting more than 3 mil as per contract termination.

You are right. I don't know if he was paid that much, yeah it sounds like a lot...but maybe his termination includes some other arrangements Cantino made in order to get rid of him, because can be bad and everything but Ancora is stubborn as hell, i think he would resign by himself..and Cantino also knew that so he thought everyone has a price and.maybe he asked for that amount (he has balls if he did that) knowing how much they wanted him out...and also he could agree not sue Kering after that,etc.etc.etc

I think ancora is someone that exploits everything on his favor....