Gucci unveils its new direction under Demna with “Spring”, a campaign which celebrates rebirth through the act of falling in love. The narration combines Johan Renck’s short film, featuring Kate Moss lip-syncing to “Wicked Game”, to Michal Chelbin’s Renaissance-inspired portraits, which reinterpret the maison’s heritage in a contemporary way.
by Domenico Casoria
The concept of rebirth, within the fashion industry, frequently corresponds to a scission with the past. A division, a sudden change of course, the visionary debut of a creative director. But for Gucci’s brand new chapter, Demna decides to shake things up, taking a much more intimate and visceral approach, by conveying his message through the oldest and most universal metaphor: falling in love. With its significant title “Spring”, the newest campaign of the Florentine maison doesn’t merely represent a collection. In addition, it traces, in a truly intimate way, the coordinates of an emotional and formal awakening, portraying transformation through the language of emotion.
Gucci’s brand new spring
To showcase Gucci’s brand new spring, an art-house short film directed by Johan Renck, whose visual composition plays on a disorienting yet effective juxtaposition. At the center of this narrative, Kate Moss is the absolute protagonist; a key figure in the fashion world over the past thirty years, who features in an intense lip-sync performance. Unexpectedly, it’s not a women’s voice that can be heard, but Chris Isaak’s renowned baritone timbre, singing the iconic track “Wicked Game”. Indeed the dissonance between the heavenly presence of the British supermodel and the deep and melancholic singing generates an atmosphere charged with sexual tension.
Who’s around?
Meanwhile, around her, inside a ballroom frozen in time, a group of strangers awakens from a state of numbness. Their gazes, at first bewildered, seek for contact: as a result their bodies come closer and the loneliness turns gradually into harmony. In this way, the dance floor becomes the physical and symbolic space where connection is born, by transforming motion into a metaphor of sentimental renovation.
The campaign
In addition to the short film, the campaign evolves through another visual register captured by the lens of the photographer Michal Chelbin. In this case the narration becomes static, almost solemn, and draws direct inspiration from the Renaissance tradition of painting, in order to reinterpret that code, for example, with a contemporary awareness. Besides the intimate portraits are characterized by frontal poses and strict compositions that recall the magnificence and composure of the masters of the past.
The cast
Amid the intricacies of this sacred and secular iconography, stands out a multifaceted and diverse cast; embodying an open dialogue between different worlds. The global brand ambassadors Xiao Zhan, Jin and NINGINING stand beside key personalities of the global pop and sports culture, such as Shawn Mendes, Tom Brady, Alex Consani, Rico Nasty, EsDeeKid, Lee Young Ae and Tarzzan. As a result we have a mosaic of faces and identities which reflects the brand’s ambition to speak a transversal language, capable of merging music, cinema, sport and fashion. In conclusion, a visual system that acts as a mouthpiece for a collection that is entirely structured on sharp tailoring, low-rise trousers and skirts and a brand new concept of sexyness. Perhaps, a brand new concept of Gucci, too.
Photos by Gucci’s official site
Read also: