On Thursday, Gucci released a digital fashion show, Gucci Aria, containing a whopping 94 looks for both Fall Ready-to-Wear and Resort 2021. This year marks the centennial of Gucci, a brand that has cemented itself in fashion and pop culture. Aria explored Gucci’s heritage alongside a collaboration with Balenciaga, in what has been described as a “hacking lab” from the designs of Demna Gvasalia. Since he was appointed creative director in 2015, Alessandro Michele has created a world of maximalist surrealism season after season. Michele’s Gucci is precisely curated from the clothing to the ambassadors to his graphic tee references. Gucci is many things, but “sexy” has not exactly been one of those things. Until now!
Aria is an amalgamation of Gucci throughout the past 100 years, including references to its roots in equestrianism, the Savoy Hotel in London, and the sexual liberty of Tom Ford era Gucci. While going back through the archives is not a new practice for creative directors, this show felt like a balance between referencing history while still looking into the future. Michele answers the question of how heritage can be redefined by modernity.
In his past six years, Michele’s Gucci has been defined by a geeky eclecticism. Yet, in Aria, there seems to be an evolution away from quirkiness and into sexuality. From the first look (a reference to the Tom Ford Gucci red velvet suit famously worn by Gwyneth Paltrow in 1996), there is a pared-back coolness in the tailoring and simplicity. Harnesses adorned with the classic horse-bit are styled over top of floor-length dresses. One model cracks a whip while storming down the runway. Equestrian riding hats become almost fetishized. This sexuality and simplicity work so well because of Aria’s departure from what we know as Michele’s design language.
The collaboration, or rather pilferage from Balenciaga, involved Michele taking designs and reinterpreting them through a Gucci lens. The silhouettes of these hacked Balenciaga designs include the hourglass suit jacket, sharpened shoulder pads, and spandex legging boots. The bags are a mingling of designs from both Gucci and Balenciaga, with a sort of fakeness that looks like they were pulled off of Canal Street. The collaboration between two designers from two hugely influential heritage fashion houses alone is enough to sell anything they could deck out in logos. I am more than certain that complaints will be made of the logomania bags. Yet, it is an undeniably smart move by Michele and Gvasalia in terms of creating sought-after bags that will flood our Instagram feeds in the fall.
The fifteen-minute-long runway show took us through a utopian white hall filled with flashing cameras. And at the end, into a makeout-sesh-filled garden party. The soundtrack consisted of music from Die Antwoord to Bhad Babie that all point to Gucci’s influence as a status symbol. The 22 billion dollar brand has defined itself as an indisputable part of the culture. Fashion designers have become pop stars – encouraged to reinvent themselves every few years for a new era. I believe we’ve entered Michele’s next era, and I’m excited to watch what comes next.
Words by Nicholson Baird.
Graphics by Emily Monet.