A Wren Says

We have news. Back in February, I wrote about the departure of Sabato de Sarno from Gucci. We now know the person who will fill the role. It’s Demna, who may know from his work at Balenciaga, making trash bags cool again. I’m going to speculate some things here.

First, reporting from Vogue Business indicates that Demna was courted for months and was being incorporated into the brand. That timeline means that Gucci had decided that he would be their next creative director before de Sarno’s exit. That makes me curious about the conditions around his departure.

The second thing I’m guessing at is that Gucci is making a big bet. Sales have been down. They have to try something new to reinvigorate interest from the luxury consumer base. Someone like Demna, who is known for doing things “wild” and out there will likely have no problem innovating. He will breathe new life into the brand, though that doesn’t guarantee his designs will be well received.

Now of course, the next question is, “Who will take the helm at Balenciaga?,” as the creative director shuffle continues.

You can read the Vogue Business article here.