SUPPORTING THE FUTURE: Sabato De Sarno is investing in fashion’s next generation.
Launching in fall 2026, scholarships in partnership with the IED, or Istituto Europeo di Design, school in Florence will be awarded to two students of the institution’s undergraduate fashion design course. The scholarships will cover 50 percent of tuition for three years, provided the students maintain a 28 average grade out of 30.
“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 intuition can become discipline, craft and vision,” said De Sarno, who is personally providing the funds. “These scholarships are born as an act of trust and responsibility: to provide access, create opportunities, and allow a vocation to find its own path. Because offering access ultimately means expanding the future.”
To be eligible, candidates have to develop a project showcasing their creative process, highlighting how fashion is construction, layering and process — from initial idea to final form, including choices and revisions, and submit the proposal by March 20.
“I am grateful to Sabato De Sarno for choosing to concretely support the educational journey of our students; it is a gesture of great value towards our academic community,” stated Benedetta Lenzi, director of IED Florence.
“His initiative 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,” she continued.
Recently De Sarno was involved in a new collective educational project at the IED Florence school, with 50 students from different disciplines. The designer, together with artists Jacopo Benassi and Sissi, guided the students in a research and performance experience that questioned the contemporary meaning of freedom, presence, belonging and collective action.