(Milan) The artistic director of Gucci, Sabato De Sarno, called to the rescue by the French giant Kering to revive sales of its flagship brand, unveiled on Monday a new men’s collection combining Italian artisanal luxury and freedom of movement.
In a minimalist setting, the models strolled inside the immense entrance hall of the Triennale museum in Milan, under the gaze of visibly won over guests, first and foremost the CEO of Kering, François-Henri Pinault.
Centerpieces of the collection, mid-length leather coats topped with a small collar, available in pastel colors like apple green or pink, with long slits in the back and fitted with high vertical pockets.
The Gucci show was particularly anticipated by fashionistas on this fourth day of Men’s Fashion Week, focused on the spring-summer 2025 collections.
The cuts are precise and refined and the materials are soft, giving pride of place to leather, poplin and silk.
The stylist brings the omnipresent wearing of shorts up to date, to be combined in town with double-breasted jackets or shirts in the same tone worn over them, or even with long coats. Note the burgundy leather shorts, Gucci’s iconic color, to wear topless.
On the beach side, loose shirts are decorated sometimes with beaded fringes, sometimes with embroidered flowers, and feature prints of banana leaves, surfers or even dolphins.
Freedom of thought and movement
PHOTO ALBERTO MADDALONI, REUTERS
The cuts are precise and refined and the materials are soft, giving pride of place to leather, poplin and silk.
“This collection is about encounters between the city and the beach, and between people who love life. Finally, she talks about freedom,” commented the stylist.
“I feel free when there is no distance between my words and my thoughts, between my actions and my heart. I hope people feel free and comfortable in my clothes,” he added.
The rather sober parades of the 41-year-old Neapolitan designer are the polar opposite of the exuberant shows to which fashion fans were accustomed by his predecessor Alessandro Michele, appointed creative director of Valentino in March.
“I am a designer who looks at real life, I like clothes that stay and become one with people, not those designed for the red carpet,” explained Sabato De Sarno.
The stylist, who had spent fourteen years at Valentino after a stint at Prada and Dolce & Gabbana, was appointed in January 2023 by Kering to reinvigorate the flagging sales of the iconic Italian label.
Plummeting sales
PHOTO LUCA BRUNO, ASSOCIATED PRESS
The models strolled inside the immense entrance hall of the Triennale museum in Milan.
For months, the French luxury group has been trying to turn around the brand, which represents 50% of its sales and two-thirds of its operational profitability.
In the first quarter, Gucci saw its sales fall 21% to 2.1 billion euros, weighed down by a slower-than-expected recovery in consumption in China.
The brand known in particular for its python bags and belts is very dependent on an Asian clientele fond of “trendy” products. However, the Asian luxury market has not regained its vigor before the coronavirus pandemic.
And fans are getting impatient, because Sabato De Sarno’s collections are only gradually appearing in stores. They should represent 30% of the new offer in stores in June and the entirety in the third quarter.