Guccified
Fashion is art. We don’t just wear clothes; we are telling a story. Gucci’s last Fall Winter Collection is the ultimate example of fashion as a storytelling experience. Key word: Minimal Chic.
London Gucci Art Wall by Valerio Eliogabalo Torrisi, Via CATANIATODAY
London Gucci Art Wall by Valerio Eliogabalo Torrisi, Via CATANIATODAY
I was on an afternoon stroll in Brick Lane one April afternoon when I looked up, and my heart skipped a beat.
Ogni tanto, lo so, sogni anche tu, e sogni di noi
I know that sometimes you dream too, and you dream of us.
In red. Capital letters on a cemented building. I stopped, took a deep breath, and went on with my day with this sentence in the back of my head. Why did it hit me the way it did? Was it because it was so relatable that I was not shocked to see it being slammed right in my face in the middle of East London, or because it was signed by Gucci?
I spent days wondering. And what I eventually came to terms with is that Gucci is Gucci because they know how to be Gucci. It is no luck game; it is pure creative genius.
Gucci’s new Creative Director, Sabato De Sarno, makes fashion an art experience, a story to be told through the spark and depth of emerging talent. Gucci’s artistic affiliation for the launching of the Fall Winter 2024 Collection is one of the latest examples of its outstanding redefinition of fashion in conversation with art.
De Sarno collaborated with the Sicilian artist Valerio Eliogabalo Torrisi in the artistic advertisement of the Collection. This time there was no flashy floral mural, nor any history behind a well-known face. Instead, there’s one scarlet Italian sentence: “I know that sometimes you dream too, and you dream of us.”
So simple yet so intimate, I was taken away by the myriad of thoughts that rushed through my mind when I saw it in London, unaware that in that exact moment the same sentence had spread to the streets of New York, Shanghai, and Milan. While as an Italian I took for granted its communicative success, I then put myself into the shoes of English speakers. No translation provided. Just the pure universality of feelings.
In a way, this is what Gucci is all about. When asked about the Fall Winter Collection of 2024, De Sarno told Vogue Runway, “I don’t have a theme—ever. My theme is the clothes.” Torrisi’s art contribution to the Collection’s launching follows the same logic. There is no need to explain yourself when the art is uncontaminated, pure, and intimate. Gucci does not try to be understood; it does not try hard to appeal—it just does.
Look 2 Gucci Fall Winter Collection 2024, Via Vogue Runway
Look 52 Gucci Fall Winter Collection 2024, Via Vogue Runway
This commitment to simplicity is, in my opinion, truly revolutionary. Key word: minimal chic. Not only reflected onto scarlet knee-rising boots and mustard pea coats, but onto Gucci’s new vision and artification.
In a historical moment where oversharing, overcompensating, and trying hard is the norm for success, Gucci doesn’t explain itself. Torrisi’s sentence was not translated for broader understanding. It was kept in Italian, asking us to stand still and observe if we are unable to decipher the message. And for those who can decipher it, Gucci asks us to relate. Relate to the simplicity of life experiences and the universality of feelings. It asks us to tune in with the most intimate part of ourselves. The part we have lost sight of in between flashy outfits and over-the-top fashion advertisements. Gucci is not just a fashion company; it is a cultural icon of self-discovery.
