The New Gucci by Sebato De Sarno – will it be a sensation or a saturation?

Photo: Filippo Fior / Gorunway.com (Image courtesy : Vogue)

The new Gucci runway show is one of the most highly anticipated shows of the season. When Alessandro left Gucci, people were curious about what the new creative director, De Sarno, would bring. The first word that struck my mind after seeing the collection is – Is this all? It is too simple to be Gucci and it is nothing new. It lacks the brand personality that the previous creative directors have created for Gucci. It felt like they were playing it safe and lacked the boldness. Perhaps the world created by Alessandro for Gucci is still lingering in my mind and it doesn’t quite match with the new safe Gucci De Sarno has started to create with his latest collection. But, then again that’s the whole point – to completely shift away from the maximalist image Michele created. Moreover, it’s still too early to say that he didn’t do a good job. De Sarno's designs were easy to imagine people wearing daily, but they didn't have the standout Gucci identity we're used to. And the catch here is if I didn’t see it on the runway, I seriously cannot recognise what brand that is.

While it feels like a safe collection, it's important to note that De Sarno took over during a challenging time for Gucci (over-saturation of the market, executive shakeup coupled with the ongoing challenges of the pandemic). Also, the transition for him from working under a creative director (previously he worked under Pierpaolo Piccioli at Valentino) to being a creative director for one of the major brands out there is not that easy.