And so we meet again: track the new beginnings of Gucci and Sabato de Sarno, with FW24’s bags that revisit the house’s past, and look to its future. 

When new Gucci was first birthed, online communities were quick to play spot the difference. And quite understandably so. For half a year, the house’s new induction — creative director Sabato de Sarno — had the fashion world with bated breath, sitting still and crossing their fingers for a better Gucci menswear line than the one they had known before. Not because the old Gucci was disliked, or because de Sarno had a reputation that preceded him. But because de Sarno and his approaches were new, and people want to like new things, even if said “new things” are unimaginable to the average customer.

It was easy to see how the new Gucci menswear line was different, especially in objects that seemed familiar. Under de Sarno’s directive for FW24, the infamous Gucci belt had been reinstated as a hot commodity, monograms were pervasive — signposting a return of the logo-mania phenomenon — and the house’s line of Jackie and Horsebit iconography rematerialised in hues that were considerably more opulent. The Jackie, which had spent the better portion of the last decade as an emerging hero for the house, was reinvented with a lobster clasp-style buckle. In addition, layers of Brat-toned green, seductive hues of Ancora red, or in another case, swathes of python-embossed leather all signalled toward the house’s mature departure from the sprightly florals and teddy bear prints that once encased the bag under different leadership. Other grown-up exemplars from his debut Fall Winter 2024 collection included the practical GG-motif backpacks and the new, archive-influenced Gucci B bag that all shared a similar inflation of their size and utility.

Rekindling that spark with house loyalists can be challenging, especially when one lacks familiarity with them. But Sabato de Sarno has done it with grace, through mature, adult ways. A hallmark of growing up is the understanding that comes with relishing in the past. It is essentially the understanding of balance, of lingering in nostalgia while avoiding the stasis that comes with comfort. With evolution at the forefront of his mind, de Sarno caters to that sweet spot of seduction and remembrance and cuts through with a thoughtful touch of practicality. And so with his debut collection for Gucci, the house and new creative direction have broken their voice, displaying their new, adult methods through the unlikely rituals of baggage. Each bag serving a comforting reminder that this is where the old and the new converge.