Earlier this year, Sabato De Sarno, who was appointed creative director of Gucci in 2023, initiated his first furniture collection for the Florentine house: five 20th-century Italian design classics, remade in ‘Ancora’ red, the rich, oxblood hue which appeared as part of his debut runway collection and has become a symbol of his tenure so far. They included pieces by Nanda Vigo, Gae Aulenti, Piero Castiglioni, Mario Bellini, Tobia Scarpa and Piero Portaluppi, spanning sofas, rugs and a chest of drawers.
‘Design objects have always been a source of inspiration for me, especially when it comes to icons,’ De Sarno told Wallpaper* at the time. ‘I have discovered them, observed them, collected them. I have explored their stories.’
Gucci reissues an Enzo Mari design classic
A look from the show, which was which was about capturing ‘a precise moment in time... a moment to seize and live to the fullest’
This past week in Milan, De Sarno added to his roster of ‘Ancora’ red reissues the ‘Timor’ perpetual calendar by Italian designer Enzo Mari, designed in 1967 for Danese, which served as the invitation to Gucci’s S/S 2025 womenswear runway show on Friday afternoon (20 September 2024). Delivered to guests in an ‘Ancora’ red box, the unique invitation also featured a Gucci motif on its body (a miniature cardboard invitation inside saved guests having to transport the calendar to the venue).
De Sarno chose the object – a curving plastic design, out of which the days, weeks and months of the year fan outwards – to reflect the collection’s starting point, which was about capturing ‘a precise moment in time... a moment to seize and live to the fullest’. ‘It’s the moment the sun dives into the sea at the end of a day,’ he continued. ‘It’s the moment we find ourselves. This collection is a tribute to those moments, and an invitation to stop, seek your own moment.’
The invitation as it was delivered to guests, featuring a matching ‘Ancora’ red box
Held at the Triennale Milano museum, the city’s temple to design – where a recent Enzo Mari retrospective curated by Hans Ulrich Obrist took place – the show’s runway was evocative of a setting sun, comprising a series of rooms which moved from yellow to orange to ‘Ancora’ red. Meanwhile the collection itself captured what De Sarno called a ‘casual grandeur’, instilling everyday garments with joyful moments of craft, colour and embellishment – from smatterings of crystals to beaded tassels and lace.
Read our review of the show, and discover more from Milan Fashion Week S/S 2025, here.
The show’s set, which was evocative of a setting sun
-
Wallpaper* checks in at the refreshed W Hollywood: ‘more polish and less party’The W Hollywood introduces a top-to-bottom reimagining by the Rockwell Group, capturing the genuine warmth and spirit of Southern California
-
Book a table at Row on 5 in London for the dinner party of dreamsRow on 5, located on the storied Savile Row, emerges as a perfectly tailored fit for fans of fine dining
-
How a bijou jewellery salon in Monaco set the jewellery trends for 2025Inside the inaugural edition of Joya, where jewellery is celebrated as miniature works of art
-
Giant cats, Madonna wigs, pints of Guinness: seven objects that tell the story of fashion in 2024These objects tell an unconventional story of style in 2024, a year when the ephemera that populated designers’ universes was as intriguing as the collections themselves
-
Fashionable Christmas baubles to accessorise this year’s tree, from Bottega Veneta to LoeweSelected by the Wallpaper* style team, a gleaming array of Christmas baubles for fashion fans featuring fantastical designs from Bottega Veneta, Loewe, Prada and more
-
Gucci’s ‘Blondie’ bag revival sees the enduring 1970s accessory reimagined anewFirst shown at Sabato De Sarno’s Gucci Cruise 2025 show in London, a new iteration of Gucci’s beloved ‘Blondie’ bag fuses 1970s insouciance with a crisp modernity
-
The breathtaking runway sets of S/S 2025, from beanbag animals to a twisted living roomWallpaper* picks the best runway sets and show spaces of fashion month, which featured Bottega Veneta’s beanbag menagerie, opulence at Saint Laurent, and artist collaborations at Acne Studios and Burberry
-
The A/W 2024 menswear collections were defined by a ‘new flamboyance’Sleek and streamlined ensembles imbued with a sense of performance take centre stage in ‘Quiet on Set’, a portfolio of the A/W 2024 menswear collections photographed by Matthieu Delbreuve
-
In fashion: the defining looks and trends of the A/W 2024 collectionsWe highlight the standout moments of the A/W 2024 season, from scrunched-up gloves and seductive leather ties to cocooning balaclavas and decadent feathers
-
In Tokyo, Gucci drafts local artisans to reimagine the Bamboo 1947 bagGucci’s ‘Then and Now’ exhibition in Tokyo celebrates 60 years of the Italian house’s presence in Japan. Here, local artisans tell Wallpaper* the story behind their contribution
-
‘Things are not what they seem’: Unpacking the S/S 2025 menswear showsWallpaper* fashion features editor Jack Moss explores the trends and takeaways from this season’s menswear shows, from an embrace of ‘irrational clothing’ to couture-level craft and eclectic new takes on tailoring
