Sabato De Sarno at Icicle: China Enlists Fashion’s Biggest Names

The latest example is the appointment of Sabato De Sarno, former Gucci creative director, who is taking over as creative director of Icicle, the flagship brand of Chinese group ICCF. Starting with the Fall-Winter 2027-28 season, he will oversee the entire women’s and men’s ready-to-wear collections, accessories and eyewear. The aim is therefore not to launch a new label around his name, but to rethink the existing house.

A few months earlier, Kim Jones had been recruited by Bosideng for Areal, a new high-end line from the Chinese outerwear giant. Kris Van Assche, meanwhile, has worked with Anta on Antazero, the sports group’s platform dedicated to innovation and sustainability. Both collaborations use a designer’s prestige to build a new proposition, without handing them the keys to the established brand.

Chinese groups are therefore no longer simply looking to borrow the codes of Western luxury. They want to build global brands capable of competing on their own terms.

Founded in Shanghai in 1997 and developed between Shanghai and Paris, Icicle already has a strong identity, built around natural materials, craftsmanship and a minimalist aesthetic. De Sarno’s arrival is not intended to give the house a Western identity, but rather to give it greater international reach.

The timing is significant. In April, Kering acquired a minority stake in ICCF, with the stated aim of supporting Icicle’s international expansion and broadening its offering. Just months later, the group appointed a former Gucci designer to lead its creative direction. Chinese industrial and cultural expertise must now be paired with a creative signature that is immediately recognizable on the international stage.

This strategy comes as the center of gravity in fashion is shifting. Major Asian groups have vast domestic markets, sophisticated industrial supply chains and the resources to offer designers greater creative latitude than some Western houses. Vogue noted earlier this year that several European designers were looking to Asia for broader roles and longer-term opportunities.

The stakes appear to go beyond the recruitment of “star designers.” For Chinese brands, the goal is to turn industrial power into global cultural capital.