ROME (AP) 鈥� Gucci announced Thursday that the will take over the creative direction of the Italian luxury fashion house, starting in July.
Gucci and its French parent Kering said in a statement that Demna 鈥渉as redefined modern luxury, earning global recognition and cementing his authority on the industry.鈥欌��
Demna, who goes by one name, has been at Kering-owned Balenciaga for a decade. He brings with him the title of artistic director.
鈥淚 am truly excited to join the Gucci family,鈥欌�� he said in a statement. 鈥樷�橧t is an honor to contribute to a house that I deeply respect and have long admired.鈥欌��
Demna showed his latest and last Balenciaga ready-to-wear collection four days ago in Paris, dialing down the theatrics for a more saleable vision.
The announcement ends speculation about Gucci's creative future after sudden exit just 2 1/2 weeks before the presentation of the Fall-Winter 2025-26 collection during Milan Fashion Week last month.
De Sarno took over from Alessandro Michele, who revolutionized Gucci with gender-fluid, eclectic and romantic collections that rewrote the brand's codes. De Sarno's more essential collections failed to excite consumers.
The Associated Press
