@demna ’s stated aim, set out in his own opening note, was to create a constellation of sensations by activating the character of the brand. On that front, he fully delivered. Because, in concrete terms, there was no real definition of a new design grammar.
We did not expect anything more or anything less than what ultimately appeared on the runway: the press release had already signalled it without excessive fanfare - “passion, excess, contradiction, love and hate. Triumph and collapse.” And none of this could have materialised through models conceived ad hoc for a debut, but only through the profanation (cheapness) of the codes of those who came before him - Tom Ford above all - given that everyone assumed he would restart precisely from that glorious chapter of the brand.
What we did not foresee was the forced prominence of seamless stretch synthetics, which effectively upstaged tailoring and triggered a vulgar - if undeniably thrilling - proliferation of treggings and sexy-shop minidresses. And yet, he did it.
He did it because he treats fashion as an anthropological device. Because, most likely, he understands that today beautiful, well-made clothes, without a disruptive image, are no longer sufficient. But above all because he can afford to: he is one of the very few creative directors who, through sheer vision, instinct and nerve, has reshaped the way fashion is conceived and lived - finally releasing it from the guilt of elegance.
Whether one loves it or not, @gucci is once again on everyone’s lips — and everyone wants to know more.
The climate of curiosity Demna has now triggered is perfectly aligned with the mechanics of desirability. Tailoring - or simply dressing well - can wait… probably until social frictions give way to harmony and wellbeing.
1 month ago