On February 12, Italian designer Sabato De Sarno announced the launch of two scholarships dedicated to the First-Level Academic Diploma (DAPL) in Fashion Design at IED Florence. The initiative, set to begin in fall 2026, will be awarded to two undergraduate students and aims to broaden access to education while supporting the most deserving talents.
The scholarships will cover 50 percent of tuition for three years, provided recipients maintain a minimum average grade of 28 out of 30. The application deadline is March 20, 2026. Candidates are required to submit a project that visualizes their creative process, demonstrating how fashion embodies “construction,” “layering,” and “process,” from initial concept to final outcome, including key decisions and revisions along the way.
Commenting on the initiative, Benedetta Lenzi, Director of IED Florence, stated: “I am grateful to Sabato De Sarno for choosing to support in a concrete way the educational journey of our students: it is a gesture of great value for our academic community. His contribution represents a significant signal for the entire fashion system. Investing in education means strengthening the supply chain and supporting the development of new creative energies, ready to contribute with vision and expertise to the future of the sector. Florence, in this sense, confirms itself as a privileged context, where manufacturing culture and design experimentation interact daily.”
De Sarno himself explained the motivation behind the initiative: “Choosing to support IED Florence is for me a concrete way of giving back. I deeply believe that talent is not a privilege, but a possibility to be nurtured and protected. Education is the first creative act: it is the place where an intuition can become discipline, craft, vision. These scholarships are born as an act of trust and responsibility: offering access, creating opportunities and allowing a vocation to find its path. Because offering access ultimately means expanding the future.”
A Practice-Oriented Program Connected to the Territory
The three-year Fashion Design program at IED Florence is characterized by its integration of artisanal knowledge and advanced technologies. From garment construction to 3D design, material research, and experimental approaches, the curriculum places strong emphasis on sustainability and design culture.
Located in a region renowned for one of the most solid and internationally recognized fashion supply chains, the school offers an immersive learning environment closely connected to industrial processes and artisanal craftsmanship. Students engage in a hands-on journey—from concept development to prototype creation and ultimately to a contemporary proposal ready to enter the global market.
The academic path unfolds progressively over three years. The first year builds a cross-disciplinary foundation of technical, cultural, and design skills. The second year focuses on experimentation and the refinement of individual style through capsule collections and workshops. In the final year, students develop a personal collection within a professional simulation framework, culminating in their graduation thesis project.
Career Background and Educational Vision
Sabato De Sarno gained experience at Prada and Dolce & Gabbana before joining Valentino in 2009, where he served as Fashion Director. In 2023, he was appointed Creative Director of Gucci, concluding his tenure in February 2025. His deep engagement with art and design continues to inform his aesthetic research and worldview.
This scholarship initiative extends beyond financial assistance. It represents a structural approach to nurturing designers capable of interpreting the evolving contemporary fashion system with responsibility and vision—through the integrated pillars of research, study, and practice. By positioning education as the starting point for strengthening the supply chain, the initiative sends a clear and forward-looking message to the broader fashion industry.
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