Just over two years since joining Gucci as Creative Director, Sabato De Sarno is exiting the Italian fashion house. In a statement shared with press this morning, the Kering-owned brand announced 'the end of its collaboration' with the Naples-born designer, and revealed that Gucci's upcoming AW25 Milan Fashion Week show will be presented by its design office. A successor is yet to be confirmed.
'I would like to express my deep gratitude to Sabato for his passion and dedication to Gucci,' said Gucci CEO Stefano Cantino as part of the statement. 'I sincerely appreciate how he honoured Gucci’s craftsmanship and heritage with such commitment.'
FIND OUT MORE ON ELLE COLLECTIVE
Read Next
De Sarno joined Gucci in January 2023, having previously worked at Valentino for 14 years, most recently as Fashion Director. Gucci marked his first Creative Director role. He replaced Alessandro Michele, who exited the brand after seven years at the helm – and who, incidentally, has since gone on to lead Valentino.
The news of De Sarno's departure comes as a shock to many in the industry, albeit arriving during a period of leadership change and general upheaval at a number of luxury fashion houses. Just last week, Kim Jones announced his exit from Dior Homme, while the end of 2024 saw the likes of John Galliano exit Margiela, Hedi Slimane leave Celine, and Matthieu Blazy take the reins at Chanel, in quick succession.
De Sarno's short-lived tenure was unfortunately marred by a challenging market and weak sales within the luxury fashion industry as a whole. The designer's SS25 collection – his sixth and final one for Gucci – is released online and in stores today, with a campaign fronted by Yara Shahidi.
ELLE Collective is a new community of fashion, beauty and culture lovers. For access to exclusive content, events, inspiring advice from our Editors and industry experts, as well the opportunity to meet designers, thought-leaders and stylists, become a member today HERE.
Clementina Jackson is Acting Site Fashion Editor at ELLE UK, working across news and features, trends, e-commerce and SEO. She was previously Fashion Editor at Cosmopolitan and Women’s Health, and Acting Digital Fashion Editor at ELLE UK, where she was named as a PPA 30 Under 30 award winner for her work on size inclusivity. An experienced fashion, travel and luxury lifestyle journalist, Clementina has also written for Harper’s Bazaar, Vanity Fair, Condé Nast Traveller, Tatler, Red and Italy Segreta.