Gucci. Fall 2021 – Milan

 Alessandro Michele returns for his Fall 2021 showing after an ethereal and dreamlike setting that was his Spring 2021 collection.  Amidst the severity of the global pandemic, he as, for Gucci’s 100th anniversary as one of the premiere fashion brands in the world, set an reinvigorated presentation for his latest collection.  From the subtle Spring 2021 styles to a super charged opulence, Michele has shown that he can play both sides of the extremity that is his version of the Gucci power house, allowing his latest collection to transcend into the luxury market that it was attended for, this is by its definition is a no-holds-barred showing.   Portraying a vastly more crafted and defined collection than previous shows,  Michele has toned down some of his thrift shop nostalgia, opting for the finer tailoring and cuts.  The mix and match ensembles are still evident, albeit they have become more honed and precise in their overall aesthetics.

However, Michele is aware of Gucci’s pop culture referencing, with the sound track for his latest digital  fashion week runway show intermixed between ubiquitous rap songs referencing the 100 year old Italian brand, to its imprint of Gucci’s cult of appeal.   And this can been seen in this Fall 2021 array, as a fast paced and intensified cross section of styles that have been re-cut and mixed together, offering glimpses of Tom Ford’s 1990s tenure with Gucci, whilst reflecting on an era, that after the excesses of the 1980s, the 90’s promised a future of widespread entrepreneuralism – where everyone could be a winner as the dawn of the ineternet loomed.   So, the social media as aspects and pop-culture referencing are well and truly represented with Michele’s latest collection and so is his ability to reinvent Gucci within its stylized dynamic.

Michele’s exclusive thrift inspired styles  are even more relevant, as he has been quoted in saying that he had “hacked” another Kering staple, the parent company that owns Gucci, taking cues from Balenciaga, in particular the focus and resolve of creative director Demna Gvasalia’s antithesis fashion design.   With what seemed like a collaborative experiment, was in fact, Michele’s tapping Kering’s backlog, starting, so far, with Gvasalia’s ‘Vetements’ tinged Balenciaga.   If Michele’s prefall collection accentuated the dreamlike and folk setting of a small town Gucci thrift store, his Fall 2021 collection has refubished and revamped that same store by including ‘other’ pieces from designers that fall under the Kering banner.   The mixing up of Gvasalia’s Balenciaga with Michele’s Gucci is a double whammy of the glamor and prestige on show. 

Despite Michele’s Gvasalia/Balenciaga hack in concept only, looking through his latest collection one can see the reference points that, as mentioned are a reflection of the many musicians and artist’s that have taken Gucci’s iconic symbolism and incorporated into their stylizations, but what is also noted from the Fall 2021 showing is the amount of accessories on display.   Along side the many Gucci handbags are the jewelry pieces, from chokers and stylized nose earrings, Gucci’s bygone glitz has returned in all of its rigor – whilst affirming Michele’s iconoclastic fixture of melding the avant-garde to the luxurious.

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A.Glass 2021