De Sarno began his career at Prada in 2005, moving to Dolce & Gabbana, before joining Valentino in 2009, where he held several positions before being appointed fashion director overseeing both men's and women's collections.

At Gucci, he will be tasked with reviving the fortunes of a brand that, after stellar growth between 2015 and 2019, has been losing momentum in recent years.

Creative director Alessandro Michele left abruptly in November after seven years in the job, following tensions between with Kering's top management, sources told Reuters.

(Reporting by Silvia Aloisi; editing by Jason Neely)