Gucci names Demna new aristic director, as he moves from Kering sister brand Balenciaga
Gucci announced Thursday that the Balenciaga artistic director Demna, who goes by one name, 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 'has redefined modern luxury, earning global recognition and cementing his authority on the industry.''
Demna has been at Kering-owned Balenciaga for a decade. He brings with him the title of artistic director.
'I am truly excited to join the Gucci family,'' he said in a statement. ''It is an honor to contribute to a house that I deeply respect and have long admired.''
Demna showed his latest and last Balenciaga 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 Sabato De Sarno's 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 Gucci's codes. However, his more essential collections failed to excite consumers.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time Out
an hour ago
- Time Out
Legendary celeb hotspot Drai's is finally coming to New York City
Usually it's the other way around: New York restaurants getting cloned in Las Vegas. But now, Vegas is sending one of its own to the Big Apple: Drai's Supper Club, an offshoot of the celeb-loved brand with a three-decade legacy, is making its East Coast debut in Manhattan's Meatpacking District on Wednesday, June 11. And if you're thinking this is just a flashy outpost, you'll stand corrected: It's a full-on reinvention. Founded in L.A. in 1993 by nightlife impresario Victor Drai and frequented by everyone from Julia Roberts to The Weeknd, Drai's built its rep as a see-and-be-seen spot for high-end dining and entertainment. Now, Victor's 31-year-old son, Dustin Drai, president of Drai's Management Group, is bringing the brand full circle with a glamorous New York City location that honors its glitzy West Coast roots while going all in on food, flair and jazz. 'Bringing Drai's to New York City with this supper club concept is incredibly meaningful for me,' Drai told Time Out. 'It's an homage to where our brand began, a return to the sophisticated dining experience that laid our foundation. We're trying to get back to what we were, but with a more modern feel for today.' Set at 244 W. 14th Street, in the former home of iconic club Nell's, the space has undergone a full gut renovation: walls have been opened, ceilings have been raised and the kitchen was rebuilt from scratch. Upstairs, guests will find an elegant dining room with floral-accented chairs, live jazz five nights a week and a menu of French-American classics from Executive Chef Yoo Hyun Suk. Downstairs is a moody lounge with clubby vibes and an evolving cocktail program, with a menu of vintage martinis and espresso flights. 'Food is the biggest component,' Drai said. 'In somewhere like New York, how do you stand out? We wanted the venue to speak for itself with amazing food that's colorful and simple.' Expect elevated takes on Caesar salad, foie gras and a burrata-tomato tart, but Drai is particularly proud of the steak: 'We have the best steak au poivre in the city. It's a big statement, but I stand by that.' Don't let the black-and-gold facade fool you—this isn't a Vegas-style nightclub transplant. It's a primetime date night destination, with blues and jazz floating through the room, big portions, a retro-luxe atmosphere and a vibe that encourages conversation, not bottle service. Or as Drai puts it: 'Come for dinner, then go downstairs to the lounge—one stop.'
Time Out
5 hours ago
- Time Out
Three U.S. restaurants just made this year's World's 100 Best Restaurants list
Ahead of the grand reveal of The World's 50 Best Restaurants 2025—set to be announced in Turin, Italy on Thursday June 19—the extended list of restaurants ranked 51 to 100 has landed, and three U.S. standouts made the global list, including two seafood-focused stunners in New York. This year's selection spans six continents and 25 countries and, as always, is a showcase of global culinary excellence. From São Paulo to San Francisco, Atxondo to Queenstown, restaurants across 37 cities made the cut. And while these dining destinations didn't manage to crack that coveted top 50 list, they're anything but second tier. In the United States, one newcomer and two previous list-makers have been recognized. César in New York makes its debut at number 98. Helmed by César Ramirez—whose résumé includes such acclaimed kitchens as The French Laundry, Le Bernardin and Brooklyn Fare—it's a sleek, seafood-centered temple of precision and power, with dishes like his now-iconic uni toast. Atelier Crenn in San Francisco returns to the list at number 96. Chef Dominique Crenn's tasting menu remains one of the most emotionally resonant experiences in the game, with her team (including dessert wizard Juan Contreras) delivering magic plate after plate. And a second NYC restaurant, the legendary Le Bernardin, comes in at number 90. Here, chef Eric Ripert continues to elevate globally influenced French cuisine across multiple tasting menus in an effortlessly elegant setting. You can check out which other exceptional eateries made it to the World's 50 Best extended list here. As for that other half of the prestigious rankings, the top 50 best restaurants will be announced on June 19 at a lavish Italian ceremony. Last year, two U.S. restaurants made the list—Atomix in New York, NY and Single Thread in Healdsburg, CA. If you want to catch the action, the ceremony will be livestreamed from Turin at 8pm (local time) on the World's 50 Best YouTube channel.
Telegraph
5 hours ago
- Telegraph
Would you pay £575 for a Britney Spears tour T-shirt?
The Balenciaga portion of that doesn't seem to be too seismic – 4 per cent according to Kering – which is a saving grace considering what has come before; a 2023 controversy that almost destroyed the house. First of all, a campaign featuring children holding teddy bears in leather bondage gear. Weird, but not unexpected in Balenciagaland. Then the truly mind boggling follow up; a campaign featuring Isabelle Huppert and some product placed amongst some seemingly innocuous objects. Except on closer inspection – via ever-present social media sleuths – one stack of documents were Supreme Court rulings on child pornography, and another featured a diploma with a name that happens to also be that of a convicted abuser. The result was a Balenciaga bomb going off at the heart of the Kering conglomerate, with celebrity denouncements from avid fans like Kim Kardashian, who said on her Instagram stories and on Twitter that she was 'shaken' by the images, and subsequent apologies from the house. Then CEO Cédric Charbit said at the time; 'I want to personally reiterate my sincere apologies for the offence caused and take my responsibility.' The statement pointed out that a third party prop's company supplied the materials on the shoot in question. In March this year, it was announced that Demna Gvasalia would be leaving Balenciaga. His destination, however, was a curveball; Kering choppering him into Gucci, its spangly jewel in the crown, a house of hi falutin glamour and those distinctive double G branded bags. Granted, Demna knows how to create buzz with logomania – although how much design nous it takes to emblazon your brand name across everything and anything is debatable – but Gucci's signature sense of seduction, throughout all of its iterations from Tom Ford to Alessandro Michele, isn't something Demna's dark arts dabble in. His is a deliberately jarring, quirky-ugly aesthetic that doesn't seem to tally with what Gucci stands for. Time will tell whether the house that once sold us must-have bags and defined the 1990s (and early 2020s) fashion is ready for a darkly turbulent aesthetic. Granted, Balenciaga couture can make some exceptionally beautiful clothes – as exhibited on the Cannes red carpet by Balenciaga ambassador Isabelle Huppert – but that's the rarity rather than the rule. Balenciaga is set to be taken over by Pier Paolo Piccioli, an Italian designer known for his sense of romance and feminine exuberance.
