THE WHAT? Gucci has announced it is to become ‘seasonless’ in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic and will streamline its annual shows down from five to two.
THE DETAILS Taking to a virtual press conference, Creative Director, Alessandro Michele stated that the brand was no longer adhering to the spring/summer, autumn/winter, cruise and pre-fall rota, and would instead showcase ‘seasonless’ shows twice a year.
Talking about the seasonal shows, Michele said, “I think these are stale and underfed words … clothes should have a longer life than that which these words attribute to them,”
Gucci will be postponing its Spring 2021 show and will no longer be part of Milan fashion week. By foregoing the September shows Michele said it would give him time to ‘bring oxygen’ to his creativity.
The designer will now be creating new names for the collections, thought to be inspired by the music world, and will put on a digital show on 17th July, which would have been the Cruise collection.
He said, “In July we will come out with a story, Epilogue, with the seeds of what will be the near, imminent future. After the last show in Milan, where I wanted to overturn things, we will present a story with the people from my office instead of the models.”
THE WHY? The brand’s decision mirrors its thoughts that the COVID-19 pandemic was a sign to slow down, with the Creative Director being clear in his mission to create a more sustainable offering for the fashion brand.
He stated, “We’ve been called to order by the Earth and we are all aware that we cannot re-propose the past after this cataclysm.”
Michele elaborated on a personal diary post on Gucci’s Instagram page, highlighting the need for a more sustainable fashion industry.
He said, “Above all, we understand we went way too far. Our reckless actions have burned the house we live in. We conceived of ourselves as separated from nature, we felt cunning and almighty.”
