Sabato De Sarno is exiting Gucci two years after he was appointed as creative director, the brand announced on Thursday. Its Autumn/Winter 2025 show during Milan Fashion Week on 25 February will be presented by the Gucci design studio.
“I would like to express my deep gratitude to Sabato for his passion and dedication to Gucci. I sincerely appreciate how he honoured Gucci’s craftsmanship and heritage with such commitment,” said Stefano Cantino, who was appointed CEO of Gucci in October 2024, in a statement.
De Sarno was drafted in to replace Alessandro Michele, who left Gucci in November 2022 after a seven-year run. It was a high stakes and high-profile appointment for a designer more used to working behind the scenes: a graduate of Milan’s Istituto Secoli, De Sarno was previously fashion director at Valentino, overseeing both men’s and women’s collections. Before joining Valentino in 2009, he worked at Dolce & Gabbana and Prada.
He was tasked with resetting Gucci, whose sales growth had been falling short of its peers. “I want people to fall in love with Gucci again,” he told Vogue Runway and Vogue Business’s Nicole Phelps ahead of his debut show. That show presented a pared-back vision for the brand, in stark contrast to its direction under Michele.
However, despite hopes of a turnaround, Gucci’s performance has been hit hard by the luxury slowdown and its performance has steadily worsened over the past year. Its sales slumped by 25 per cent to €1.64 billion in the third quarter of 2024, dragging heavily on parent company Kering (Gucci is its biggest brand). This followed a 19 per cent drop in the second quarter, and an 18 per cent decrease in the first. (The brand is due to report its Q4 and full-year earnings on 11 February.)
A new creative director for Gucci will be announced in due time. “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,” said Francesca Bellettini, deputy CEO of Kering.
Comments, questions or feedback? Email us at feedback@voguebusiness.com.
