Sabato De Sarno’s tenure at Gucci begins with a debut collection of real clothes

The evening before Sabato De Sarno’s anticipated debut for Gucci, there was a change: due to the predicted downpour the next afternoon, the location had shifted from the open-air streets of Milan’s historic Brera neighbourhood to the vast Gucci Hub on the city’s outskirts. 

The monsoon never quite materialised, though such is the slickness of the Gucci operation the hub’s central space was transformed overnight into a runway set doused in red light. Red would be a clue: at the heart of De Sarno’s collection was a rich, oxblood-esque hue he called ‘Ancora Rosso’, chosen to recall the elevator at The Savoy Hotel in London where Guccio Gucci worked as a bell boy, gaining an intimate knowledge of trunks and suitcases he would later use to found luggage house Gucci back in his native Italy. In the collection, the colour appeared across embossed shorts and skirts, and stack-height platform brogues, as well handbags and accessories.

Sabato De Sarno’s Gucci debut

‘Ancora’ was a refrain used by De Sarno throughout, first appearing in the days prior to the show on posters across Milan and other cities around the world. Translated by the house into English as meaning ‘also now, also then’, it spoke not only of his desire to take elements from the Gucci archive and refigure them for the contemporary day – notably the house’s Jackie and Bamboo bags – but also to create ‘the opportunity to fall in love with fashion, ancora,’ as he described.

Watched on by a star-studded Hollywood guest list including Julia Roberts, Ryan Gosling and Paul Mescal, the collection itself marked a stark departure from previous creative director Alessandro Michele – who exited the house last November after a successful tenure – in its focus on pragmatism over theatricality. The collection largely circled on riffs on wardrobe classics: the white vest, denim jeans, tailoring, knits and grey hoodies all featured in the collection, styled in an insouciant, casual manner.

That said, there were nonetheless plenty of nods to Gucci’s rich history of craft: not least in a yellow coat adorned with a glimmering overlay of metal tassels, or the slew of abbreviated, crystal-covered baby doll gowns that closed the show. Meanwhile, the 1960s-inspired ‘Marina Chain’ jewellery collection – first worn by model Daria Werbowy in a campaign photographed by David Sims and released before the show – appeared throughout.

De Sarno explained the collection in a manifesto of sorts, delivered to the guests just prior to the show’s start. ‘It’s a story of the joy of life, of passion, of humanity, of people,’ he said, noting that the multiplicity of the street was one of the inspirations behind the collection (and presumably behind his first choice of show venue). ‘It’s a story of fabulous, diverse people... a story of richness and lust... a story of sweat, dancing and singing.’ No doubt the eminently wearable collection will dress people doing all three.

That said, it feels like there is plenty more to come from De Sarno – a deeply experienced designer who has previously undertaken roles at Dolce & Gabbana, Prada and most recently Valentino – not least in the publication of the collection’s accompanying ‘Gucci Prospettive n.1, Milano Ancora’, curated by Stefano Collicelli Cagol PhD, director of the Luigi Pecci Center for Contemporary Art in Prato. In it, he traces links between art and fashion and features works by Cristiano Rizzo, Martino Santori, and Noura Taf, artists selected by De Sarno.

These will go on display in a temporary gallery on Via Fiori Chiari 5 in Milan, open to the public from 19-23 September 2023. Meanwhile, in London, Gucci’s latest store on New Bond Street features a rich curation of art by art advisor and curator Truls Blaasmo, who said he worked closely with De Sarno on the selection. One senses this link with the art world will be forged further in De Sarno’s upcoming collections, as he carves and populates his vision for the Italian house. 

gucci.com