Announcing the move in a joint press release Saturday, the Italian label and its parent company, Kering, said the 39-year-old will be responsible for “defining and expressing the House’s creative vision.”
The appointment came as something of a surprise to industry insiders. Though De Sarno is known in fashion circles for his work at Valentino, where he currently oversees menswear and womenswear under creative director Pierpaolo Piccioli, the Naples-born designer has yet to helm a major label and has a relatively limited public profile.
In a statement, De Sarno said he was “deeply honored” to take the role, which will see him steer Gucci’s women’s and men’s collections while also overseeing its leather goods, accessories and lifestyle divisions.
“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,” he added.
Michele’s tenure also coincided with a huge uptick in sales. Kering owns numerous other luxury brands — including Balenciaga, Alexander McQueen and Saint Laurent, among others — but Gucci now accounts for about two-thirds of the group’s profits, generating reported revenues of 9.7 billion euros ($10.5 billion) in 2021.
Gucci’s show at Men’s Fashion Week in Milan earlier this month was its first since the departure of De Sarno’s predecessor, Alessandro Michele. Credit: Daniele Venturelli/Getty Images for Gucci
Beyond Gucci, Kering has a track record of appointing relative outsiders to top jobs, such as Demna Gvasalia and Matthieu Blazy. Both have gone on to make their marks as creative directors at Balenciaga and Bottega Veneta, respectively.
Gucci’s president and CEO, Marco Bizzarri, noted De Sarno’s “vast and relevant experience,” adding: “I am certain that … 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 capitalizing on its rich heritage.”
Kering’s chairman & CEO, the French billionaire François-Henri Pinault, meanwhile said: “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.”
