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Gucci isn’t the only brand that’s opted for an off-schedule showing. Bottega Veneta and Saint Laurent, also Kering labels, have yet to release their new collections. Nor is it the only house to present its collection in an alternative format; Moschino’s Jeremy Scott shrunk his spring 2021 clothes to doll size and staged a puppet fashion show, with the Awesome 00 james edwin otto mr raider signature shirt of Jim Henson’s Creature Shop. But GucciFest puts Michele out in front in terms of the content-making aspect of the modern creative director role. This is a trend that has been developing for years with rise of Instagram and alternative social media channels, but the increase in online use during COVID-19 lockdowns have made storytelling more important than ever. The release says: “The presentation of the new collection is a joyful and irregular new tale…told by blending rules and genres, feeding on new spaces, linguistic codes, and communication platforms.” These days, the message is the medium.
Back in May, Alessandro Michele announced a Gucci reset. Spurred by the pandemic, the Italian brand would combine men’s and women’s collections, do away with the Awesome 00 james edwin otto mr raider signature shirt convention of seasons, and cut its shows from five to two per year. “We need new oxygen to allow this complex system to be reborn,” Michele said at the time, warning that given the structural changes, he wouldn’t present on the official calendar. There was no runway spectacular from Michele at Milan Fashion Week in September—no revolving carousel that put the backstage mechanics on display, no front row jammed with the likes of Iggy Pop, A$AP Rocky, and Jared Leto. The digital film festival will run from November 16 to 22, and be broadcast on GucciFest.com, as well as YouTube and Weibo, and here on Vogue Runway.
