Gucci announces creative director’s exit, just weeks before Milan Fashion Week

Gucci announced on Thursday that its creative director of under two years, Sabato De Sarno, has left the position just two and a half weeks before the next runway show, and that the new collection would be created by the design team.

The abrupt announcement of De Sarno’s departure comes as Gucci prepares to open Milan Fashion Week with a combined womenswear and menswear collection on February 25. His replacement will be announced “in due time,” the statement said.

Gucci’s new CEO, Stefano Cantino, expressed gratitude for De Sarno’s focus on “Gucci’s craftsmanship and heritage,” while Kering deputy CEO Francesca Bellettini said he had “further strengthened Gucci’s fundamentals.”

De Sarno, 42, was named creative director of the storied Italian fashion house two years ago after the surprise departure of Alessandro Michele, who powered brand sales and owner Kering’s earnings with gender-fluid, eclectic, and romantic collections that rewrote Gucci’s codes.

De Sarno’s tenure was marked by a return to more essential silhouettes and wardrobe basics that sought broader public appeal—but ultimately had disappointing sales. Kering earnings have been slipping, with third quarter revenues down 15% to 3.8 billion euros as Gucci revenue plunged 26% to 1.6 billion euros. Kering announces its full-year earnings next week.

Gucci’s heritage as a luggage and leather goods maker founded more than 100 years ago in Florence has given successive creative directors the potential for great leeway to interpret the brand’s codes—starting with Tom Ford’s sexy silhouettes of the 1990s.

This is not the first time the Gucci has taken a dramatic late-season creative shift.

The departure of Michele’s predecessor, Frida Giannini, was announced in January 2015 only as the fashion crowd arrived for the menswear runway preview. The new collection, headed by Michele as part of the Gucci team, was put together in a scant five days, and featured the then-dramatic pussy bow blouse for men as the new eclectic vision for Gucci took focus.

De Sarno arrived from Valentino, where he was fashion director overseeing both men’s and women’s collections. Michele is now putting his stamp on Rome-based Valentino as creative director.

The announcement comes amid a series of creative moves at major fashion houses, including the recent departure of Kim Jones as creative director of Dior’s menswear collections.

—Colleen Barry, AP Fashion Writer

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