Why Gucci’s Sabato De Sarno Chose That Shade of Red

If you’ve ever been to Milan (lucky you!), you might have noticed a specific shade of oxblood red everywhere — from the ’70s marble designs to the interior of the trams. When Sabato De Sarno took over Gucci last year, he introduced his take on the color via the brand’s Rosso Ancora collection. De Sarno doused gleaming bralettes, fringed skirts, and leather bags in a shade so rich, so robust, it’s nearly aromatic — you can practically bring a little bit of Milanese aperitivo hour to your company happy hour. 

Landing on this specific color was equal parts romance and research. “I love the past,” De Sarno told the Cut’s fashion critic Cathy Horyn before his September 2023 show. “Gucci is a big company but full of history; when I go to the archives in Florence, honestly, it’s one of my best days in the creative process.” He saw red in the lining of the first Jackie handbag; in the elevator of the Savory Hotel in London, where Guccio Gucci worked as a boy. Through the color, it seems he saw a marriage between the past and present of the fashion house.

The shade, which has quickly become a signature for the brand, could soon be akin to Bottega’s green, Tiffany’s specific robin’s-egg blue, or even Hermès’s buoyant orange. You can now buy Gucci-red ballet flats, sunglasses, and even leather micro shorts, or items inspired by it at stories like Khaite to COS. In the span of a little over a year, Rosso Ancora went from being a color reserved for the runway to one known for its versatility. Deep-red trolleys and buses traversed the streets of Milan and New York, couches like the Tacchini x Gucci Le Mura sofa provide the opportunity to sit on this shade for a cool $24,000, or perhaps swipe it across your lips for those of us more economically minded.

“These colors have longevity to them,” Laurie Pressman, vice-president of the Pantone Color Institute, said. “It’s not a fad color. It’s not boring. There’s a refined sophistication and a chic elegance. That’s what gives it its staying power.”

“It’s a feeling. The idea of wanting more!” De Sarno wrote in an email to the Cut. “In the Gucci world, red is everywhere.”

Sure, for Gucci red might be everywhere. But how did this color catch on for the rest of us so quickly? Pressman thinks it has to do with Gucci’s Rosso Ancora being a “seasonless” and “genderless” shade. The fact that it can be so versatile means that it can be universally tasteful. And I see it in the wardrobes of women across New York — deep-red boots, loafers, gloves, and sweaters have become nearly neutral, an essential part of a glamorous outfit, when it comes to dressing.

It seems, unlike many of the retired “It” colors that have come before, Rosso Ancora is actually here to stay and will likely come to define much of what we wear in the seasons and years to come. And I, for one, welcome its lush warmth with open arms. As Pressman told me, “Color is a language,” and suddenly, my language is sounding quite a bit like an Italian red.