Gucci kicked off Milan Fashion Week on Friday, unveiling a lineup of slouching androgynous menswear styles, pushing its latest collection forward while the industry waits for owner Kering to name a new designer for the label. I was.
The question of who will steer Gucci’s creative direction loomed over the megabrand’s first men’s show in the Italian fashion capital for the first time in three years. Engage your audience, including retail buyers, and consider which styles are likely to be future top sellers.
A model walking the Gucci show. credit: Alessandro Garofalo/Reuters
Michele’s eccentric, gender-fluid style echoed at Gucci’s catwalk presentation on Friday.
Models circled a darkened room to the growling music of live band Marc Ribot’s Ceramic Dog, dressed in oversized suit coats with wide lapels and generously pleated trousers in pale beige and pastel tones. paraded, reimagining a Maison Classic that recalls Michele’s tenure. Includes horsebit-embellished slippers, adorned with fur.
Simon Longland, head of menswear and womenswear at London department store Harrods, said, “It’s a palette cleanser from the collections we’ve seen over the past few seasons.
He said the show offered a “new approach” to house style, offering a variety of fabrics and jacket shapes that could appeal to new customers as well as fans of its signature looks.
A buyer displayed a note probing signs of the label’s next steps, and mentioned improvisation and collaboration.
“When the free impulses of individual minds weave together, a collective expression is conceived,” notes Brand.
The models circled the dark room to the live music. credit: Alessandro Garofalo/Reuters
Shimmering silver pants and quilted motorcycle boots added flair to the neutral-hued look, and celebrities such as K-pop star Kai, American football player Jalen Ramsey, and Italian rock band Maneskin took in the audience.
UBS expects Kering’s February 15 earnings release to show that Kering’s fourth quarter sales fell by around 11%.
“The longer we wait for Gucci’s new creative director, the worse Kering’s prospects are,” said Bernstein analyst Luca Sorca, adding that “repeat the same thing” is not likely to help the brand. He pointed out that it doesn’t help regain relevance with shoppers.
Timeless fashion, investment in marketing
Meanwhile, HSBC analysts said efforts taken before Michele’s departure could ease the transition, and they expect improvements this year regardless of who takes on creative direction. I’m here.
They noted that the recent focus on timeless fashion and more expensive products, along with higher marketing costs and more collections, could help accelerate business.
Gucci has held back on marketing investments during the pandemic, but bigger rival LVMH’s two biggest labels, Louis Vuitton and Dior, have moved ahead, analysts say the move will give them a lead over their rivals. It was useful for
Another look from the Gucci Fall/Winter Menswear show on January 13, 2023 in Milan, Italy. credit: Alessandro Garofalo/Reuters
But despite Kering’s current turmoil, expectations are high given the group’s strong track record of nurturing its brands, analysts say.
Sorca, whose brands are known to have “captured the zeitgeist”, said Gucci’s past success is “one of the most impressive transformational stories in the history of luxury”. said.
The industry expects big changes from other blockbuster labels as well.
The change in top management at Louis Vuitton and Christian Dior announced this week has seen Louis Vuitton’s menswear division, which has relied on its design studio team since the passing of creative director Virgil Abloh in late 2021, to take over the business. Rumors arose that the reorganization of the design team might continue.
