Icicle names Sabato De Sarno as creative director. The Italian designer will present his first collection for the fall 2027 season, marking the next stage in the Chinese brand's plan to grow a global business alongside minority investor Kering. September 7, 2026, 6:00am PARIS - Five months after receiving a minority investment from Kering, Chinese fashion brand Icicle said on Monday it has appointed Sabato De Sarno as creative director, signaling the next step in its plan to grow a global business. The Italian designer had been a free agent since parting ways with Gucci, Kering's star brand, in February 2025 after a two-year tenure during which he steered the label toward a more minimal aesthetic. De Sarno will oversee women's and men's ready-to-wear, accessories and eyewear, and will present his first collection for Icicle for the fall 2027 season. You may also like. Bénédicte Laloux, who joined the Icicle design studio in Paris in 2013 and has been artistic director of womenswear since 2019, will remain as design director of the women's show collection, working under De Sarno. Icicle declined to comment on whether Mark van Beek, creative director of the menswear atelier since October 2025, would also stay at the company. Founded in 1997 in Shanghai by Ye Shouzeng and his wife Shawna Tao, Icicle operates more than 200 stores in China, including locations in Beijing and Shanghai. The flagship brand of the ICCF Group, which also includes Carven, Icicle is known for minimalist, eco-friendly designs rooted in the concept of the "natural way," built on natural fibers used with their original hues or dyed with organic pigments. "Since Icicle was founded in 1997, our ambition has always been to reconnect people with nature through enduring fashion," Ye, chief executive officer and co-founder of Icicle, said in a statement. "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," he added. De Sarno said he was keen to explore the brand's philosophy. "I've always been fascinated by design beyond the final product, from the origins of raw materials to the craftsmanship that shapes them. I was drawn to Icicle by the deep alignment between its principles and my own creative philosophy," he said. "Harmony between humans and nature is an idea Icicle has explored for nearly thirty years, and it feels to me more relevant today than ever," he added. The Gucci post marked De Sarno's first high-profile position after years as a second-in-command. Born in 1983 near Naples, he began his career at Prada in 2003 before joining Dolce & Gabbana. In 2009, he moved to Valentino, where he held positions of increasing responsibility, finally being appointed fashion director overseeing both men's and women's collections. Icicle made its debut on the official Paris Fashion Week calendar last year, marking its expansion into wholesale with ambitions to launch a global business. "Before COVID[-19], we were just another Chinese brand, focused on the Chinese market, with a global design center in Paris. After COVID[-19], we found a new direction, which is to go global, with a clear timeline in mind," Ye told WWD at the time. Following the announcement of Kering's investment in April, Louise Xu, executive president of ICCF Group and Icicle, said 90 percent of its business stems from rtw and it spies a "very huge potential" for bags, shoes and accessories. The brand has two boutiques in Paris, in addition to a shop-in-shop at Le Bon Marché, and is considering London and Milan for future locations, she added, flagging consistent double-digit growth the past few years. Icicle is also expanding in its domestic market. Last month, it opened a garden store adjacent to Hangzhou's historic West Lake that also houses a dedicated Carven boutique. In a second phase, the store will be expanded to include Icicle's Museum Collaboration Capsule; Icicle Explore, its athleisure line; a café, as well as the launch of a new lifestyle store, Icicle Market, in 2027. Kering's investment, announced at the luxury group's Capital Markets Day in Florence in April, marked the launch of House of Wonders, a new investment platform. Part of Kering CEO Luca de Meo's turnaround plan, it will target opportunities in new categories and emerging luxury markets. Joel Hazan, chief strategy and development officer at Kering, lauded Icicle's performance in China amid a slump in consumer spending that has cast a chill over the luxury sector worldwide. "They've been able to create a value proposition in China that's proving more successful than what many of the Western brands have been doing in recent years, so we're happy to learn from them," he said. "One of the things that House of Wonders is going to try to prove is that there is an opportunity for luxury brands emerging from non-historical, non-legacy luxury markets to take a space," Hazan added. "There's a world of brands out there that are not from Paris and Milan." Newsletters

Kering adds chief product officer to its 'centers of excellence' Marilyne Trebus joins Kering from Coach, where she was chief merchandising officer and general manager, lifestyle. September 2, 2026, 2:01pm Continuing to bolster its "centers of excellence" at the group level, Kering named Marilyne Trebus its new chief product officer, effective Tuesday. Trebus reports to Kering's chief client officer Carlo Mocci, who started in the new role last May and joined the French luxury group's executive committee. She joins Kering from Coach in New York, where she was chief merchandising officer and general manager, lifestyle, according to her LinkedIn page. She logged nearly 12 years at the handbag specialist in a variety of merchandising roles. Her mission, as part of the broader "Reconkering" strategy, is to "partner with the houses and provide sharper capabilities across marketing, product, omnichannel, commercial and customer growth," Kering said in a statement shared exclusively with WWD. Kering's fashion houses include Gucci, Saint Laurent, Balenciaga, Bottega Veneta, Brioni and McQueen. "She will partner closely with the houses to strengthen merchandising, pricing, integrated business planning and product development capabilities across the group, with a focus on building more agile, consumer-centric ways of working," Kering said, touting her "extensive luxury expertise, product vision and strong business acumen." A graduate of ESCP Business School, Trebus started her career in 2003 as a retail buyer at Celine in New York, going on to work for Valentino in New York and Milan, and later joining Chloé in Paris as director of ready-to-wear marketing and merchandising. Under its new chief executive officer Luca de Meo, Kering created two group centers of excellence - industry and client - in a bid "to optimize its operational efficiency and support the sustainable growth of its houses," a move that led to several key hires, as reported. These included Stéphane Noël, appointed chief industrial officer; Fedele Usai, chief marketing officer, and Daniele Zito, chief commercial officer. "With these new centers of excellence, we are clarifying the organization, connecting the teams and ensuring efficiency across the group to give our houses the means to go faster and further," de Meo said last March. Newsletters

Kering: Sabina Belli appointed President of Kering Italia. Kering is pleased to announce the appointment of Sabina Belli as President of Kering Italia, effective September 15, 2026. Reporting to Luca de Meo, Chief Executive Officer of Kering, she will be based in Milan. Sabina Belli will represent Kering in Italy and strengthen the Group's dialogue with public institutions, luxury industry associations and key stakeholders. In addition, she will continue to oversee Kering Accademia per le Eccellenze, the Group's initiative dedicated to preserving and promoting Italian craftsmanship and supporting the next generation of manufacturing talent. She will also help advance initiatives that promote industrial excellence, innovation and sustainability across the luxury value chain, while preserving and enhancing Italy's unique artisanal savoir-faire. Italy is central to Kering's identity and operations. More than a quarter of the Group's global workforce is based in the country, alongside thousands of additional indirect jobs supported through its extensive manufacturing and logistics ecosystem. Italy is home to several of Kering's Houses, including Gucci, Bottega Veneta, Brioni, Pomellato, DoDo, Ginori 1735 and Kering Eyewear, as well as a broad network of corporate offices, product development centers, manufacturing facilities and strategic logistics hubs. Working across Kering's Houses and corporate functions, she will help foster collaboration on strategic initiatives that reinforce the Group's long-term presence in Italy and support partnerships between the private and public sectors to enhance the competitiveness, attractiveness and international influence of the country's luxury manufacturing ecosystem.