Sabato De Sarno makes highly anticipated debut at Gucci under the gaze of Hollywood stars

MILAN — Sabato De Sarno wants people to fall in love anew with Gucci — his Gucci — calling his debut collection “Gucci Ancora,” Italian for “Gucci Again.” The title is a touching admission of the challenges facing Gucci’s new creative director, who joined the fashion powerhouse this summer from Valentino, where he worked for 14 years after stints at Prada and Dolce & Gabbana. The question is: can De Sarno do again what his predecessor Alessandro Michele was able to achieve by exciting the public to swarm to Gucci, pacing revenues at a sustained double-digit growth for French owner, Kering? De Sarno’s debut Friday, nine months after being hired in the wake of Michele’s surprise departure, was the most anticipated on the Milan Fashion Week calendar for next spring and summer womenswear. Gucci’s roots as a leather goods company makes it an empty vessel to be filled and shaped to the will of each creative director — as history shows at times making drastic shifts in direction.