The much-awaited debut of Demna Gvasalia as creative director of Gucci has finally taken place.
A letter by Demna sent via Instagram in part announced what was happening to a vast thirsty crowd of fashion fans.
Through this letter, the creative director behind Balenciaga’s success has declared all his passion for Gucci, for its history and what it means for the Italian, and the fashion world.
While Gucci has lived many lives, he said, it has grown from a small leather company to one of the most recognized names in the world.
It was possible for its great quality, excellence, and craftsmanship, but also for its great tie with the Italian culture. As Demna traced back the company’s history and identity, he visited the Uffizi museum and discovered how much Renaissance culture, Tuscan manufacturing ability, and art were poured into Gucci. Botticelli’s painting “Primavera” had actually inspired the much admired Gucci Flora pattern.
Similarly, admiring Botticelli’s Venus’ Birth painting live made him experience how much vibrant beauty soaks Gucci, which he considers, more than a brand or a maison, as a person, as he says, “Gucci is drama, passion, excess, contradiction, love and hate, triumph and collapse, pride and vulnerability, perseverance, chaos, genius. Everything you could say about a human being you can say about Gucci.”
For these reasons, this unique being can only evolve, surprise, challenge, and, above all, be respected and desired—and Demna is nothing but ready to stir more emotions.
What he did was to transform Gucci by making heritage and fashion meet together, and through this first show, he introduced the brand’s archetypes, consumers, and dress codes—all starting points for a future evolution.
The fashion show did not disappoint. On the contrary, it rekindled a passion for Gucci’s gucciness, as Demna himself called it. Taking place on a long catwalk where only a white trail marked the new direction, it played with elements that are dear to the brand—mostly reminiscent of Tom Ford’s years blinking at a young and more street-minded fashion audience—from sexy squeezed dresses and skintight trousers and tops in lace, or leather-like materials and metallic effects. Along with that, lots of black and white total looks played the portagonists’ role and lead to the closing outfit, a sexy mermaid dress with an open back and a Gucci logo worn at the end of the back by a stainless Kate Moss–hyping more the past heritage of the brand’s resurgence in the ’90s.
Denim remains a protagonist, often light blue, but comfier than all the rest of the collection and, only in a few outfits, carrying the iconic red and green stripes of the brand at the side of the trousers throughout their length.
Leather, and fur elements as horizontal rings wrapping around coats or as full garments are back, adding more sexiness to the whole launch.
Long asymmetric dresses with a side slit exalted the beauty of models with golden effects and lurex bright colors.
Only a few prints or patterns completed any look, apart from an essential strap dress built from a Gucci Flora silk scarf perfectly transformed into a pencil dress, and the double-G logo completing a jacquard fabric used for a skirt or other items like lace tights…
This debut was perfect. Provocative enough to start a new course. This is just the beginning. It sounds very promising. Let’s see how it continues…
