For the past seven years, the Gucci we’ve known has been a result of the genius of Alessandro Michele. His eccentric inclusivity has transformed the aesthetic of the label, and as he officially steps down as the Creative Director of Gucci we look back at his gender-fluid and maximalist designs and how he revolutionised the brand.
The acknowledgement of his contribution to the brand comes from all channels, including Kering’s chair and chief executive, François-Henri Pinault. In a statement, he states, “His passion, his imagination, his ingenuity and his culture put Gucci centrestage, where its place is.” Rather accurately put the Gucci we know now has Michele’s footprints all over it. Having worked with the company for over 20 years and 7 years as its creative director, Alessandro Michele’s journey at Gucci has been a momentous one.
Amidst all the influencer-induced popularity, iconic collaborations and à la mode styling, the brand has been loosing its luxurious trimings to become more trendy than timeless. Therefore, the need for change of wheels and a rather suprising goodbye to the creative direction who revolutionised the brand. Here is a quick recap of the moments and the magic created by Alessandro Michele at Gucci.
The top moments under Alessandro Michele at Gucci:
Blurring gender lines
Since the beginning of his reign at Gucci, Alessandro Michele has been a strong purveyor of gender-neutral fashion. For his first collection, the Gucci Men’s Fall/Winter 2015-16 one, he instantly blurred the lines by sending male models in flouncy, pussy bow blouses. This changing the dynamic between what constitutes feminine and masculine fashion has been his greatest victory at Gucci.
Scent of sustainability
In 2017, Gucci under Alessandro Michele decided to eliminate the use of fur in all its following collections. Following from that, the brand has kept up with its commitment to the environment and sustainability in various forms, including a carbon-neutral show (2020) and its recent first eco-friendly collection, Off The Grid.
Introducing the grotesque to Gucci
Gucci’s Fall/Winter 2018 fashion show is one that’s well ingrained into fashion’s short-lived memory. After all, it’s seldom that you see a severed head as an it-accessory. If that wasn’t all, there were replicas of baby dragons and iguanas for this memorable show rather eerily (yet remarkably) put together by Alessandro Michele at Gucci.
Return of Gucci’s greatest assets
Alessandro Michele’s maximalist movement at Gucci was all about reviving and reinventing the classics. From bringing back the Jackie 1961 bag, the Gucci Marmont quilting, the GG Supreme print, he has been instrumental in making Gucci’s greatest hits into trendy items.
Michele and his muses
From Jared Leto to Lady Gaga, Alessandro Michele has dressed some of Hollywood’s best in Gucci. But his perennial muse is pop singer/actor, Harry Styles who has wholeheartedly embraced Michele’s genderless style. So when the long-time friends decided to get together for a collaboration, the excitement was palpable. The Gucci HAHAHA collection (launched in June this year) was a combination of English tailoring with the duos’ eccentric style.
Seeing double at Gucci
More recently, we had to get our vision checked as the Gucci Spring/Summer 2023 show saw sixty-eight pairs of identical twins strutting down the runway. Depicting the duality of fashion as well as questioning the idea of individuality, the collection went down as one of the greats.
Hero Image: Courtesy Pari Dukovic. Featured Image: Courtesy Shutterstock.
This story first appeared here.
