What’s new – Style – Kommersant

Last November, Gucci unexpectedly said goodbye to its creative director, Alessandro Michele. He spent almost 9 years in his post and created an all-new Gucci, filled with hippie aesthetics, floral prints and pastel shades. After Michele’s dismissal, the Italian brand presented the collection at Milan Fashion Week without a creative director. Critics, editors and viewers agreed that the line turned out to be frankly weak and faceless.

Speculation about who will take over as creative director of Gucci began immediately after Michele’s dismissal. At the end of January, the brand announced a new appointment: the Italian Sabato de Sarno became the creative director. This choice was unexpected for many, because the name de Sarno was not promoted, despite the fact that he can be safely called an industry veteran. Sabato is 39 years old, and he built his career exclusively in Italian brands (I wonder if this influenced the choice of his candidacy?). He started his career at Prada, then moved briefly to Dolce & Gabbana.

De Sarno spent the bulk of his professional life at Valentino. He worked for the Italian brand for 13 years and during that time became a partner and friend of the creative brand Pierpaolo Piccioli. At Valentino, Sabato de Sarno was the design director for menswear and womenswear, so building a collection from scratch shouldn’t be a problem for him. It is interesting how de Sarno interprets the legacy of Gucci and whether he will leave at least something from Michele in his collections. On the one hand, Alessandro’s work was often based on the archives of the brand, and his vision has forever entered the history of the fashion house. On the other hand, de Sarno will need to make a name for himself and surpass his predecessor, who created his first collection in six days – and it caused a sensation. De Sarno has significantly more time left – the updated Gucci will present its first collection in September at Milan Fashion Week.

Ilya Petruk