Page 9
As Gucci Goes Seasonless, Is This the Future of Fashion?
Words Isabel Dexter
Luca Ponti; FashionStock; ShutterstockFrom its humble beginnings as a leather goods label in Florence back in 1921, mostly creating saddles and other accessories for horseback riders, the name Gucci has become synonymous with Italian fashion, particularly for those of us with a penchant for glamour. The iconic fashion brand will celebrate its 140th birthday next year and has counted Elizabeth Taylor, Jackie Kennedy and Grace Kelly as devotees. From those famous interlocking G’s (created in the 1950s as a homage to the original founder Guccio Gucci), to the slinky slip dresses and jewel-toned satin shirts by Tom Ford for the label in the 1990s, the brand has become one known for its constant reinvention. So, when earlier this month Alessandro Michele, the label’s current Creative Director, called the old fashion show calendar ‘stale’, the industry sat up and took notice.
“Gucci’s announcement is significant because the Italian powerhouse is by far the mightiest brand to come out in support of a move to a leaner, less wasteful fashion system,” explains Jess Cartner-Morley, Associate Editor (Fashion) of The Guardian. While an overhaul of the traditional fashion week system, in which most heavy-hitting labels such as Chanel, Saint Laurent and Gucci end up churning out five or more collections a year, has been discussed for years, not least because of the industry’s heavy carbon footprint, it was usually the smaller labels that came out in support of a change.
Luca Ponti; FashionStock; Shutterstock“By throwing their weight behind the forces of change, Gucci has the ability to shift the balance of power in this conversation,” says Cartner-Morley.
Michele, who first stepped up to the helm in 2015, didn't allow the brand to wield its economic power (Gucci’s revenue for 2019 was €9.6bn or £8.6bn according to The Guardian), but asserted a cultural influence that goes beyond his love of maximalism (think wallpaper-pretty print suits, baby dragons, crystals, ruffles and those covetable sheer sherbert skirts whose copies are currently all over the high street). His collections have been credited with ushering gender fluidity into fashion, with male models in pussycat bow blouses. Michele dressed the actor Jared Leto in a floor-length evening gown on the Met Gala red carpet, complete with a head purse.
“I was an outsider, and I still am an outsider,” Michele told W magazine earlier this year. “They call me the ruler of gender fluidity, but to me, I was just pulling out beauty. Conventionally beautiful people have always confused me. The more you are a hybrid—young but old; male but female; female but male— the more you look interesting.”
Luca Ponti; FashionStock; ShutterstockIs it this refusal to play by the rules, when the rules appear outdated, that has put Michele in prime position to lead the new seasonless revolution? Certainly, as a global pandemic shakes the industry and an enforced lockdown period has made us all consider our impact on the environment, it makes sense that we look at a more sustainable approach to shopping.
“Above all, we understand we went way too far,” Michele wrote in a series of personal diary entries, posted on the Gucci Instagram account after the virtual press conference broadcast from his Rome studio, where the creative director announced they were slashing the number of fashion shows each year from five to two. “Our reckless actions have burned the house we live in. We conceived of ourselves as separated from nature, we felt cunning and almighty.”
“So much haughtiness made us lose our sisterhood with the butterflies, the flowers, the trees and the roots,” he added. “So much outrageous greed made us lose the harmony and the care, the connection and the belonging.”
The label will now show ‘seasonless’ collections twice a year, with menswear and womenswear being shown together, and no plans for a September show as part of Milan Fashion Week this year.
This shift is not completely unexpected by those in the industry. As the reality of the global climate emergency has started to take hold in the last few years, the traditional fashion show model and strict adherence to seasons has indeed started to look outdated. Think of the ‘see now, buy now’ model pioneered by Burberry in 2016, with Ralph Lauren and Tom Ford following in their footsteps. Or the reinterpretation of heritage pieces, done to great aplomb by Daniel Lee at Bottega Veneta, who reworks the heritage codes of the house into modern designs that have a timeless appeal. There has also been a change in the way designers approach the seasons, with florals (a Spring/Summer staple) for Autumn/Winter 2020 at Giambattista Valli and roll necks layered under shirts and jackets at Victoria Beckham this Spring/Summer.
Luca Ponti; FashionStock; Shutterstock
Luca Ponti; FashionStock; Shutterstock“There is a growing awareness – conscious consumption is more important than ever to consumers, which means that when it comes to fashion, the focus has slowly started to shift from quantity, to quality,” Libby Page, senior fashion market editor at NET-A-PORTER told Harper’s Bazaar. “Fewer, high-quality pieces that are loved and worn in multiple ways are now the preference as these pieces have a timelessness to them that often make them seasonless.”
Change appears to be in the air. Marc Jacobs, Dries Van Noten and Anthony Vaccarello at Saint Laurent have also removed their shows from the official calendar in September. Meanwhile, the British Fashion Council and the Council of Fashion Designers in America have penned an open letter, suggesting two seasons a year, and using the hashtag #RewiringFashion. As we all look to consume less, our wardrobes will need to work a lot harder, which hopefully will lead to even more creativity within the industry. As Michele says, “I feel the need to renew a bond, purifying the essential by getting rid of the unnecessary.”