The Italian fashion house Gucci and its current creative director, Sabato De Sarno, have ended their cooperation.
The designer is leaving the position two years after his appointment. The design team will prepare the show, which will be presented at Milan Fashion Week on February 25.
The reasons for this decision were not disclosed. However, according to industry insiders, Sabato de Sarno is likely to leave Gucci because he did not meet management’s financial expectations.
It is worth noting that the French luxury holding company Kering has been trying to revive Gucci, the leading brand in its portfolio, for several years: Gucci accounts for half of the group’s sales and two-thirds of its profits.
However, the brand has been one of the hardest hit amid weakening demand for luxury goods and accessories. The WSJ notes that this is due to internal difficulties in building the business and high dependence on the Chinese market, which is experiencing an economic downturn.
As a reminder, the Italian designer joined Gucci from Valentino, where he was most recently the fashion director, curating both men’s and women’s collections. Before joining Valentino in 2009, he worked at Dolce & Gabbana and Prada.