Gucci’s Creations by Alessandro Michele: 7 Years of Celebrated Creativity

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With its whimsical universe, punctuated by a pronounced taste for the baroque, romanticism, and a retro touch, Alessandro Michele’s Gucci creations have left a creative mark on both the Gucci house and the fashion world as a whole. After spending 20 years at the house, including 7 years at the helm of the artistic direction, let’s rediscover how the Roman designer made an impact, and what path the Florentine house is set to take after his departure and the arrival of its new creative director, Sabato de Sarno.

How did Alessandro Michele’s Gucci creations redefine the image of the house?

The Roman designer is one of those who transports a brand into another world. Alessandro Michele’s Gucci creations restored the glory that the Florentine house seemed to have lost by redefining its image and creating a strong identity, both through his pieces and his fashion shows.

Who is Alessandro Michele?

Dreaming of being an archaeologist as a child, Alessandro Michele allowed his rich imagination filled with adventures to take over the fabrics of the various houses that welcomed him. A graduate of the Costume Academy in Rome, he worked at Les Copains and then Fendi in 1990 as a senior designer in accessories. The Gucci chapter for the Roman designer began in 2002, at the request of Tom Ford.

Working in leather goods and then accessories, he was later appointed creative director, alongside Frida Giannini, the artistic director at the time, whose position he took over in 2015. He also simultaneously evolved as the artistic director of the porcelain manufacturer Ginori, acquired by Gucci in 2013.

How did Alessandro Michele transform Gucci?

With his experience at Gucci, the designer was able to work on a new brand image that was more modern and breaking away from old codes, while respecting the values of the Italian house.

Alessandro Michele’s Gucci creations have been synonymous with renewal in terms of style and aesthetics. The predominant sexy cuts of the house were replaced by pieces that are both chic and vintage, with multiple colorful layers. His pieces were enriched by his inspirations, from Visconti to Fellini, through antiquity and Hollywood’s golden age, resembling works of art.

Alessandro Michele’s work also brought a modern discourse to fashion. By advocating for gender fluidity, playing on the androgynous aspects of the models, and promoting a vision of inclusive fashion. Models, both men and women, binary and transgender, are treated equally, walking together, wearing dresses and jewelry without differentiation. The pieces also carry messages, with slogans like “my body my choice” and embroideries in the shape of a uterus.

A vision that has captivated and allowed Gucci to regain popularity and increase its sales, notably by targeting a younger audience.

The designer also integrated eco-responsibility issues into his creative process, launching the Off The Grid capsule collection in 2020, entirely designed through circular production.

Why did Alessandro Michele’s Gucci creations leave a mark?

Alessandro Michele’s Gucci creations managed to establish themselves as pieces recognizable at first glance. This success can be explained by the creation of a very strong brand DNA, cradled by the designer’s rich universe of collections that resemble a cabinet of curiosities, where each motif, cut, and texture reveals different facets of his creativity, blending bohemian fiber with bold patterns from the seventies, a mix of romanticism and baroque, vintage silhouettes and dandy chic, all with a hint of mystique.

Creations that seem to come from elsewhere, at the crossroads of a Wes Anderson film and an imaginary world.

A remarkable arrival at the helm of the house

Designed in just 5 days for the Gucci men’s show in February 2015, Alessandro Michele’s first Gucci creations made a significant impact. Combining notes of Italian renaissance, characteristic of the house, with renewal through retro cuts and colors, dandy silhouettes, and androgynous models, the collection marked a break from the previous chapters of the house, signaling the entry into a new era.

A new vision of fashion codes and the brand was confirmed at the New York cruise show, and was awarded a British Fashion Award for International Designer in 2015, repeated the following year by the Council of Fashion Designers of America.

The art of the fashion show according to designer Alessandro Michele

Thinking of the fashion show as a field of expression rather than a simple showcase for his collections, Alessandro Michele consistently attracted attention with his creative happenings. Through these, he takes a stand, conveys messages, provokes, shocks, and disorients.

Alessandro Michele’s fashion shows are moments of spectacle, matching the grandeur of the venues that host them, ranging from Westminster Abbey to the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Moments where creation and scenography question the place of humanity and mental health, denouncing institutions and a conformist society. These are moments designed to disrupt codes and provoke thought. Notably, by having men and women walk together on the same runway, playing on the androgynous appearance of the models and the diversity of silhouettes and origins, as well as using pieces solely as a vector of message, rather than being integrated into the collection.

Models in white camisoles, marching mechanically on treadmills, replicas of heads cradled in arms, presentations of pieces on twins… The shows featuring Alessandro Michele’s Gucci creations are among those that are memorable.

Moments that have even been replicated through trends on social media or on the prestigious red carpet of the MET Gala, where Jared Leto also arrived with a replica of his head, as well as in tandem with the designer.

Beyond the content of his shows, Alessandro Michele also aimed to create his own collection calendar to design his fashion in a more reasoned and responsible manner.

Collaborations at the center of Alessandro Michele’s Gucci creations

Alessandro Michele’s Gucci creations have also featured significant collaborations. Notably, the joint collection with Balenciaga during Gucci’s 100th anniversary. More recently, the collaboration with Adidas, inspired by the works of Stanley Kubrick.

On the artistic exchange side, we also saw the birth of the Gucci Ha Ha Ha collection created alongside Harry Styles.

The impact of Alessandro Michele within the Gucci universe

Alessandro Michele has also spread the essence of his universe into the Gucci Beauty ranges and high perfumery. As well as in various locations, such as the Gucci Wooster concept store in New York, its 100% leather goods address in Paris with the aesthetic of a train carriage, and the Palazzo della Mercanzia, which combines a living space, museum, boutique, and Gucci Osteria restaurant (also present in Los Angeles, Tokyo, and Seoul).

Alessandro Michele has inscribed the house within a more eco-responsible approach. Present since 2020 on The Real Real, a platform dedicated to second-hand, the creator launched Gucci Vault the following year, to sell vintage pieces refurbished by the house’s artisans.

Alessandro Michele has also enhanced the customer experience in Web3, with the creation of NFTs and the presence of the Gucci house in the Roblox and The Sandbox universes.

What is the future of Gucci?

On November 23, 2022, the Kering group announced the departure of the artistic director of Gucci. Although celebrated and highly sought after in the early years, Alessandro Michele’s Gucci creations began to lose momentum. The causes include a lack of renewal in the collections, failing to appeal to the targeted audiences (High Net Worth and young Chinese). As well as a misunderstanding regarding the ultra-creative campaigns in contrast to the in-store experience.

After four years of ascent, the decline in profitability, particularly since 2022, undoubtedly initiated this need for novelty.

Who is Gucci’s new artistic director, Sabato de Sarno?

Former fashion director for men’s and women’s collections at Valentino, Neapolitan Sabato de Sarno succeeds Alessandro Michele. With a background at Prada and Dolce & Gabbana, the designer will conceptualize the men’s, women’s, accessories, leather goods, and lifestyle lines of the Gucci house.

A transition that will be illustrated with a women’s collection presented at Milan Fashion Week next September.

What are Gucci’s new challenges?

Gucci confirms its intention to engage in a circular economy with the recent launch of the Circular Hub, as well as its PreLoved program with Vestiaire Collectif. Additionally, Gucci Vault is expanding with creations from artists and couturiers made from unused materials by the house.

The house is also working on new customer experiences, including private lounges. And has recently launched its Gucci Gaming Academy.

One thing is certain: Alessandro Michele’s Gucci creations have forever transformed the image of the Florentine house. And we eagerly await how Sabato de Sarno will write the next chapter of its story. In the meantime, here are three standout Gucci pieces to discover on Modalova!

Photos: Pinterest