EXCLUSIVE: Sabato De Sarno on Gucci Cruise Campaign by Nan Goldin With Debbie Harry, Kelsey Lu
MILAN – A year after his first Gucci show as creative director, Sabato De Sarno says he is “as happy as the first day.”
De Sarno was appointed to the role in January 2023 and, in an exclusive WWD interview to discuss the launch of his cruise 2025 ad campaign, the designer brimmed with excitement about the unveiling, given his passion for the photographer chosen, Nan Goldin.
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“Working for Gucci has given me the possibility to work with such artists, because Nan is a true artist,” said De Sarno. “The past year has been an intense experience filled with many first times. Of course, I have grown, I learned a lot because it’s important to listen, to be open to different points of view, but I did not stray from my idea of a woman and my aesthetic parameters. I had the freedom to choose, but I stayed true to myself. This is important to me.”
On Thursday, Gucci will globally present the “We Will Always Have London” campaign fronted by Debbie Harry, cofounder with Chris Stein of the band Blondie; singer, cellist, and composer Kelsey Lu; Alaato Jazyper, the face of Gucci’s fall 2024 campaign, and Yanan Wan, who opened the cruise 2025 show. Harry and Lu both attended the brand’s spring 2025 show last week.
De Sarno chose London and the Tate Modern Tanks for Gucci’s cruise show in May, given the brand’s connection to the city, where founder Guccio Gucci, working in 1897 at the Savoy and observing the guests’ luggage, was inspired to start creating his own line of luxury suitcases and bags.
For De Sarno, London is much more than that. He associates it with music, culture and art, “the clash of different cultures,” he said, and ticks off several of his favorites — the Tate’s Brutalist architecture, the city’s surrounding countryside and the Rivoli Ballroom, dating back to the ‘50s and famed for its original decor. It has hosted Lu performances.
The rich interiors in red velvet and flock wallpaper serve as the background for the images, which have a mysterious nighttime ambiance, together with other signature locations, including the seats of one of the city’s iconic cabs.
De Sarno enthused about Goldin’s art. “I am a fan, and I have a photo of a couple captured in the moment after making love. I like her work because the context of her images is always very real, she represents real life,” he said.
Goldin, who is a 2023 Academy Award nominee for her documentary “All the Beauty and the Bloodshed,” has a distinctive vision and an MO that is very similar to his own, he continued.
“Before shooting, she must meet [those involved], spend time with them. She had conversations with the models and me, to understand me and my aesthetics. It was a beautiful experience so it was not only a set, but a moment of real life; she created an intimate atmosphere with the talents and the team. She goes below the surface, getting to the soul of people.”
Likewise, De Sarno said that working with those with whom he has built a positive relationship makes him feel “more relaxed.”
“What I like the most about Debbie Harry is her irreverence. She is a free spirit in her choices, and she is still an icon,” said De Sarno of the artist. “I have always been a fan of Blondie; they marked specific moments of my life and inspired generations. She is American but she has a strong connection with London.”
The Blondie bag, which is a key accessory in the campaign, is not named after the band, as it is a design that dates back to 1971 with interlocking Gs, De Sarno pointed out, and that he has revisited, also in his signature Rosso Ancora.
Asked about the importance in this current scenario to look back at the history of a brand, De Sarno said that he remains “fascinated” by the power and the breadth of Gucci’s archives. “I learned so much going through them. I can be contemporary because I know the past. I am interested in today but the past is important.” This is also reflected in his life, he added, in his strong relationship with his family, for example.
“Everyone has a memory connected to Gucci,” he remarked. “It’s a company that has a history spanning 104 years, that invented so many accessories. I really think that Gucci is not only a brand and that [the claim] ‘Gucci is a feeling’ promoted [earlier this year with Italian tennis champion Jannik] Sinner, is true.”
De Sarno shied away from discussing potential new avenues for the brand or his dream projects, pointing instead to events in the pipeline, including the Gucci-sponsored LACMA gala on Nov. 2 in Los Angeles; the itinerant “Cosmos” exhibit bowing in October in Kyoto, and the “Gucci Cultural Month” initiative aimed at paying tribute to the heritage of Korean culture starting on Oct. 15 in Seoul.
“My biggest wish has already been granted, to work for Gucci. I would never have imagined it could come true,” he said shyly.
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