The scene was a bright red room where a group of models 21 in total were dressed in straight-jackets as well as some with no shoes and walked along an elevator to begin the Gucci SS20 show.
In all-white models, they were strapped, in a harness and sulky, putting their arms towards photographers at the end of the catwalk. Their faces were covered in the words “Mental Health isn’t fashion.”
This was just the beginning. Alessandro Michele backstage revealed his greatest fear is boredom. It is better to trigger an earthquake than to try to change the tectonic plates in that fashion.
A new age of sophistication
They did shift. Not necessarily seismologically but Michele changed Gucci to a new orientation, with less emphasis on zany, fanciful retro outfits, and instead moved to an era of modern sophistication, and even sexuality. It was similar to the vibe in Milan which demanded more minimalist, minimal collections for this season.
Clashing prints were a minority. Instead, color-blocking, clean lines, and even black – which Michele generally avoids throughout his collection – brought the look of tailoring that had an odor like Tom Ford from the 90s and even the brand’s 70s peak.
The plunging of necklines, slip dresses short midi skirts with thigh-splits, and gloves made of latex were Michele’s first exploration into a space that explored the erogenous constantly reverberating the Madonna song “Justify My Love” which influenced the soundtrack.
Graphic patches with the words Orgasmique or Eterotopio were sewn to the edges of the sleeves of trousers and bags, as a reference to the philosopher Michel Foucault’s idea of cultural spaces that are “other,” which reshapes the notion of what is outside.
Gucci has, over the last 5 years has seen its image change and contrasting with a lot of its past as well as the entire industry. Michele developed a revolutionary style that was a reflection of the current zeitgeist of individuality, gender fluidity, and escapism. It became an instant success. The company is currently in the process of becoming an enterprise worth 10 billion euros by 2020, even though it’s not seeing the same speed of double-digit growth as previously.
Does this collection re-create the success of the previous seasons? Some say Gucci is cooling off like all brands tend to do during the fashion cycle. The numbers, at final, are going to reveal the truth.
