Gucci Parts Ways With Sabato de Sarno

Only a few days after it was announced that Kim Jones will be leaving Dior Homme, Gucci announces Sabato de Sarno’s exit from the brand. Furthermore, in a brief statement from Kering Thursday morning, it was announced that the upcoming Fall 2025 fashion show, which is set to take place on February 25, is to be presented by Gucci’s design office. This thus confirms that Sabato de Sarno’s exit from the brand is effective immediately. But what exactly has caused such an unexpected turn of events?

Well, let’s start from the very beginning. Sabato De Sarno was appointed as Gucci’s creative director in 2023, succeeding Alessandro Michele, who held the brand’s creative director role since 2015. Before joining Gucci, he honed his craft at brands like Prada, Dolce & Gabbana, and most notably, Valentino, where he played a key role in shaping the house’s modern aesthetic under Pierpaolo Piccioli.

Gucci hired De Sarno after several years of stagnant sales with Michele. Basically, the idea was to steer the brand towards a more refined, understated elegance, which was the opposite to Michele’s maximalist approach, which by then has already stopped generating substantial revenue for the brand.

Sabato De Sarno’s debut collection for Gucci was showcased in September 2023 during the Spring/Summer 2024 Milan Fashion Week, and it was a clear departure from Michele’s maximalism, with clean lines and rich textures replacing bright and flamboyant prints. Furthermore, the collection introduced a new signature color for Gucci – Rosso Ancora. Appearing across clothing, shoes, outerwear and accessories, it was a deep red, almost burgundy hue that instantly captivated the attention. However, none of this has helped to reverse the pattern of declining sales at Gucci.

In fact, in the first quarter of 2024, Gucci’s sales were down by 18 percent compared to Q1 of 2023, followed by a 19 percent drop in Q2 and a 25% drop in Q3.

What’s interesting is that Kering is set to reveal its 4th quarter and full year results on February 11. Thus, Sabato de Sarno has left the brand before the full-year results have been announced. Is that a hint that things are really bad? Well, we shall see on February 11th. But I personally think that given the current overall slowdown in luxury spending, we shouldn’t really expect positive numbers.

What’s next for Gucci?

At the time of writing this post, no successor for Sabato De Sarno has been announced. Though in their statement, Kering has assured that the announcement is to follow soon. Who do you think it is going to be, and do you believe Gucci will be able to recover their sales? Let’s chat in the comments!