Icicle Appoints Sabato De Sarno as Creative Director
Chinese fashion house Icicle has named Italian designer Sabato De Sarno as its new creative director, marking a significant step in the brand’s ambitions to build a global luxury business following Kering’s minority investment earlier this year.
De Sarno, who departed Gucci in February 2025 after a two-year tenure, will oversee Icicle’s women’s and men’s ready-to-wear, accessories and eyewear. He will unveil his first collection for the house for Fall 2027.
At Icicle, De Sarno will work alongside Bénédicte Laloux, who joined the brand’s Paris design studio in 2013 and has served as artistic director of womenswear since 2019. Laloux will remain design director of the women’s show collection and report to De Sarno. The company has not confirmed whether Mark van Beek, artistic director of the menswear atelier since September 2025, will remain with the brand.
Founded in Shanghai in 1997 by Ye Shouzeng and Shawna Tao, Icicle has established a sizable retail presence in China, with more than 200 stores nationwide. The brand is recognized for its minimalist aesthetic and emphasis on natural materials, organic pigments and its guiding philosophy of the “natural way.”
“Since Icicle was founded in 1997, our ambition has always been to reconnect people with nature through enduring fashion,” said Ye, Icicle’s cofounder and chief executive officer. “We believe this vision can only be realized by bringing together creative talent from around the world with Icicle’s deep cultural roots and industrial strength in China. Sabato’s arrival marks an important step forward in this direction.”
For De Sarno, the appointment offers an opportunity to explore Icicle’s philosophy through a different creative lens.
“I’ve always been fascinated by design beyond the final product, from the origins of raw materials to the craftsmanship that shapes them,” he said. “I was drawn to Icicle by the deep alignment between its principles and my own creative philosophy.”
De Sarno added that Icicle’s focus on the relationship between fashion and the natural world feels particularly relevant today.
Born near Naples in 1983, De Sarno began his career at Prada in 2003 before moving to Dolce & Gabbana. He joined Valentino in 2009 and rose through the ranks to become fashion director, overseeing both the men’s and women’s collections. His appointment at Gucci in 2023 marked his first major creative-director role.
Icicle has been accelerating its international expansion in recent years. The house joined the official Paris Fashion Week calendar last year as it expanded into wholesale, while continuing to develop its presence outside China. The brand currently operates two Paris boutiques and a shop-in-shop at Le Bon Marché, with London and Milan among the markets being considered for future locations.
The move follows Kering’s minority investment in Icicle, announced in April as part of the luxury group’s newly established House of Wonders investment platform. The initiative is focused on emerging luxury markets and opportunities beyond traditional fashion capitals.
With De Sarno now at the helm, Icicle is positioning itself for a new chapter—one that brings together its Chinese heritage, sustainability-driven identity and growing international ambitions with the perspective of a designer who has already shaped one of the world’s most recognizable luxury houses.
Photos: Icicle
