MILAN — Sabato De Sarno’s latest project is aligned with his nature and personal interests, from arts to books.
To wit, the designer has conceived and curated “Napoli Infinita,” celebrating 2,500 years of the Italian city and as an invitation to discover it through different voices.
The book “brings together contemporary Neapolitan artists, all active today and linked to the territory by choice or birth,” De Sarno said during an interview here. “I wanted to explore the different layers of Naples outside the clichés and stereotypes associated with the city.”
Related Articles
Hailing from Cicciano, a small town near Naples, De Sarno gathered artists, photographers, directors, musicians and poets he personally knew or that he discovered through his research. “I am interested in creating conversations, offering contrasting voices, because this also reflects Naples. The city taught me to look at the world with inclusivity and embracing differences.”
You May Also Like
De Sarno was named creative director of Gucci in January 2023, and one of his first steps was to launch Gucci Prospettive, a series of books that conveyed his artistic vision. For example, for the first chapter, Stefano Collicelli Cagol, director of the Luigi Pecci Center for Contemporary Art in Prato, interpreted the vision for De Sarno’s first collection, named “Milano Ancora,” launched in September 2023. It celebrated the city and its art works, literature excerpts, music, cinema and fashion, narrating fragments of its cultural and artistic history from the post-war period to the present day.
Likewise, across 131 pages, “Gucci Prospettive: Ancora Londra” documented London’s landmarks from the River Thames to the National Theatre on Southbank, as well as locations that have a strong resonance to Gucci, such as The Savoy hotel, where house founder Guccio Gucci worked as a luggage porter in the early 20th century, and the Tate Modern, where De Sarno staged his cruise 2025 show. It featured images of Princess Diana and Skepta, as well as artwork and photography by Tracey Emin, Martin Parr, Francis Bacon and Wolfgang Tillmans.
De Sarno said Naples represents not only his roots, but “is a constant presence, an emotional and cultural territory. It’s a location that holds you close and at the same time lets you go. I chose to listen to the voice of Naples. Not the one that we seek to confirm our expectations but that of the polyphonic different voices.”
De Sarno said he did “not want to be central” to the book, acting as a curator, choosing 35 artists “instinctively,” each with their own message, and defining the layout. “It’s a way to get to know the city or be a part of it. It would be presumptuous to say that it’s a gift to the city, it’s more of a gift to myself,” he said, smiling. “This is a love letter to Naples, an invitation to look at the city with new eyes, not as a postcard but as a continuously moving reality. There is no judgment; I simply observe and welcome what I see.”
The book is also an opportunity for lesser-known artists to have a platform for exposure.
Some of the artists include musician La Niña; director Edgardo Pistone; the duo Bianco-Valente; photographers Ciro Battiloro and Eleonora D’Angelo; the upcycling project by Due di Picche by Angela Dell’Aquila and Massimo Paudice; Luciano Romano’s images blending photography and performance, engaging actors but also non-professional individuals with unaware passersby; Chiara Ferrante and her poems in Neapolitan; Vienmnsuonno1926, with its embroideries and prints filled with references to Naples; Giorgia Solmonte, bringing statues of the late soccer champ Diego Maradona around the city, and Diego Cibelli’s porcelain portraits.
The book was published by editorial projects Nss edicola and Cratèra and is part of the J’Adore Napoli 2500 project.
De Sarno joined Gucci from Valentino, where he spent 14 years and rose through the ranks to become fashion director of men’s and women’s ready-to-wear in 2020.
He debuted in the fashion industry as assistant patternmaker at Prada in 2003 and left in 2006 when he joined knitwear manufacturer Annapurna until, two years later, he was named head designer of the women’s knitwear and jersey collection at Dolce & Gabbana. He exited Gucci in November last year.
Separately, De Sarno has been involved in a new collective educational project by the IED Florence school, with 50 students from different disciplines and running from Wednesday to April 28. The designer is flanked by artists Jacopo Benassi and Sissi guiding the students in a research and performance experience that questions the contemporary meaning of freedom, presence, belonging and collective action. It leads up to an event on the final day of the project, dubbed “In Corpo Presente [present in the body].”