KEEPING IT IN LA FAMIGLIA: DEMNA’S DEBUT GUCCI COLLECTION REINTERPRETS THE HOUSE

words by PHOEBE GIBSON-DOUGALL

Haven’t you heard? Gucci is back, and for his debut collection, La Famiglia, Demna wants to begin with some introductions.  What better way to usher in this unapologetically sexy, extravagant, and daring era, than to introduce us to a bold, reimagined Gucci family? Embodied in framed portraits captured by Catherine Opie, La Famiglia is made up of singular personalities and distinctive aesthetic attitudes: the house’s very “Gucciness” personified.

images courtesy of GUCCI

Like any family, this one has its standout personalities: Incazzata is the fiery one, as reflected by her ’60s-style “little red coat”, whereas La Cattiva exudes the severe elegance of a femme fatale. La Bomba’s volatile feline sass is mirrored by her “stripes,” but Miss Aperitivo is simply preoccupied with having the time of her life.

Heritage signatures are revisited and revised: the lookbook opens with L’Archetipo, a monogrammed travel trunk that highlights the House’s origins as a valigeria. Elsewhere, the timeless Gucci Bamboo 1947 bag is re-proportioned alongside the Horsebit loafer, a House icon since 1953. The Flora motif emerges, both as you know it and reimagined in a nocturnal incarnation. Whispers of the original family are also present; the GG Monogram, Guccio Gucci’s initials, appears throughout, worn with head-to-toe abandon, from lens to loafer: All or Nothing.

This collection defines the aesthetic foundation upon which Demna’s Gucci vision will be built ahead of his first show in February. The house’s signature storytelling is ever-present, silhouettes span extremes, and dressing for pleasure is emphasised. La Famiglia is living la dolce vita, and we’re all invited to join them.

images courtesy of GUCCI