In the second women’s clothing collection brought to Gucci, creative director Sabato De Sarno continued his review of Gucci’s classic heritage during his debut. He has devoted more than 20 years of experience in tailoring and craftsmanship in the fashion industry, enabling him to present outstanding and error free works to the audience.
The opening style of the black short suit coat paired with knee high boots laid the foundation for the minimalist and modern style of the entire show. The collection features elements such as sequins, lace, velvet, and sheer to depict the sexy Gucci image, paying tribute to the brand’s golden age. The bold logo print is replaced by low-key leather embossing to maintain simplicity and unity in color.
Despite shouldering the heavy responsibility of driving Gucci’s comeback, Sabato De Sarno seems not in a hurry to prove anything in his second appearance.
Faced with market criticism that his works are too stable, Sabato De Sarno responded to the media before the show, “I don’t care if my clothes are considered commercial, my goal is to see people on the street wearing my clothes.”
This idea is clearly different from the logic behind former creative director Alessandro Michele’s use of allusions, myths, and fables to construct Gucci’s aesthetic world. Even before this, there were few creative leaders of luxury brands who could face commercialization so seriously and be frank about their ambitions in performance. The different identities often made them more concerned about creative expression.
However, the imagined collision of creativity and visual feast has not yet arrived. Although the models are dressed in the latest seasonal works of various brands and walking in different sets of shows, some industry insiders have bluntly said, “All fashion shows look the same.”
This kind of voice becomes even stronger in the latter half of fashion week. The eye-catching and distinctive Italian style aesthetics of the past no longer exist, and the diverse styles in previous fashion shows have been replaced by an emphasis on practicality.
Fashion Week seems to have transformed into a large-scale essay, with minimalism marked by extreme cutting and luxurious fabrics becoming the standard answer given by Italian luxury brands.
Gucci, who is in a transitional period, is a typical example of this trend.
The emphasis of luxury brands on commercial value has spread from financial reports to platforms.
The 2024 Milan Fashion Week officially came to an end recently, and this stage, which brings together design stars and veterans, as well as brands in their heyday and transition period, has attracted much attention in the past week.
The seven day schedule includes not only Adrian Appiolaza, the new creative director who took over less than a month ago, for Moschino, and Matteo Tamburini for Tod’s debut, but also Gucci, Bottega Veneta, Ferragamo, and Bally, who are still in the transitional period of changing creative directors, as well as Marni, who celebrates her 30th anniversary, and Prada, who has topped Lyst’s global most popular brand list three times in over a year.
