ALESSANDRO MICHELE'S MEMORABLE MOMENTS AT GUCCI

The designer who brought lightness, inclusiveness and kindness to the world of fashion.

No one would have expected it - yes, there were rumors - but no one would have ever really believed that Alessandro Michele, the creative director who since 2015 has transformed Gucci into the international power it is today, could ever really leave the role for which most swore he was destined. Yesterday the announcement: "There are moments in which paths separate due to the different perspectives that each of us may have. Today an extraordinary journey ends for me".

Alessandro Michele leaves Gucci with immediate effect, and amidst everyone's questions - why, why, and now? - the people of the fashion world do not remain silent "Alessandro you are great" comments Donatella Versace, "Much admiration dearest Alessandro" she says instead Silvia Venturini Fendi. An important chapter of the Italian Maison closes, another opens. And while we wait to find out what the designer has planned for his future, it seems appropriate to take a moment to remember Alessandro Michele's memorable moments at Gucci, "a company to which I have tirelessly dedicated all my love and passion creative. In this long period Gucci has been my home, my adopted family.”

Androgyny

When Alessandro Michele became creative director of Gucci in 2015, his stylistic signature was immediately clear: the androgynous myth. The first look of the Autumn Winter 2015 men's collection was the creative manifesto of his - at the time - still radical thought: a red pussy bow shirt, black tailored trousers and sandals. The new Gucci era began at that moment.

The moccasin makeover

Born in 1953, Gucci's iconic loafers went unnoticed for several years. Considered by the new generations to be too far from their vision of fashion, moccasins were forgotten from fashion covers and abandoned by It girls. Alessandro Michele rewrites the history of these shoes by introducing the new fur and backless model, which drove the world crazy. 2015 is their year, everyone wants them, everyone desires them. They are impossible to find and the race begins to see who has the most particular ones: patches with tigers, roses, personalized, candy blue or classic black.

The world of Gucci to be experienced through its campaigns

The singularity, as well as strength, of Alessandro Michele has always been his ability to present the Gucci reality. Inviting the public to immerse themselves in the world of the Maison, the designer created a true alternative universe, where fashion, art, dreams and hope mixed together at a fast pace. The result is always iconic projects, especially the advertising campaigns, some irreverent, some dreamlike. Like that of Spring Summer 2018, in which the most famous paintings of the Renaissance came to life interpreted by models wearing the latest Gucci collection. The surreal colors, the hint of utopia, the praise of freedom. Gucci's campaigns have always wanted to send a specific message: fashion is for everyone and everyone, fashion is made for creating your own character, fashion is made for having fun.

Fashion shows 2.0

It is difficult to decide which of all the fashion shows under the creative direction of Alessandro Michele is the most iconic. Some might mention the one from Autumn Winter 2018, in which the models paraded with their heads - which took six months to build - for the cyber-human themed collection. Others, however, claim victory for the Gucci Cosmogonie fashion show, which stole the hearts of most due to the choice of location - Castel del Monte in Puglia - and the numerous dresses with sequins and velvet. How can we not mention Spring Summer 2023 with the twins on the catwalk, or the Gucci Love Parade on Hollywood Boulevard. However, they all agree on one fact: Alessandro Michele has transformed fashion shows into shows in which to get lost, in which to dream, in which to find oneself.

The Gucci Squad

Few have managed to do what Alessandro Michele did with Gucci. The designer has transformed the brand into the most fashionable, the most appealing, the most desired, also thanks to his dense network of contacts and friends who, red carpet after red carpet, have raised the brand to an almost surreal level, revolutionizing the concept of Gucci of the most. Harry Styles, Dakota Johnson, Jessica Chastain but also Hanni, Ellie Goldstein and Hari Nef, the Gucci Squad expanded day after day, giving a very precise image of itself: as divine as it was tangible. Everyone can wear Gucci, from Oscar stars to the girl who jogs in Parco Sempione every morning.

The imperfections of Gucci beauty

Alessandro Michele has not only revolutionized the fashion world, but also the beauty world. The ugliness that transforms into beauty, it was said when the first Gucci beauty campaign, with the iconic red lipstick, made its entrance on billboards all over the world. An imperfect smile, the one that was usually avoided in fear of not fitting into the 'canonical beauty'. Alessandro Michele was the first to show that imperfections are not only to be accepted, but to be celebrated. Gucci Beauty has revolutionized the world of make-up and above all, it has given the courage to the millions of admirers of the Maison not to feel obliged by perfection, because as the designer has always said "My mission from the beginning has been to subvert traditional beauty standards with a captivating and truthful reality. The idea is to create a humanized point of view, however strange. But strangeness is human, therefore it is beautiful."

Sustainable luxury

This is nothing new: fashion is not always sustainable. Controversy aside on the issues of waste and overproduction, the collection presentation system today seems unsustainable, in terms of time and costs. Alessandro Michele knew this and so from 2020 he decided to change the calendar of Gucci fashion presentations. From the five canonical fashion shows it moves on to two collections a year, genderless and seasonless. Less waste, more time for making clothes, researching fabrics, paying attention to details.