It comes as no surprise that fashion house Gucci has been able to withstand the test of time, celebrating its 100th birthday this year. The Gucci Garden marks one of the first fashion events being offered in-person for a select group of journalists following social distancing guidelines and mandatory mask-wearing.
The immersive installation is anything but nostalgic, transforming the rooms of the medieval space into a walk-through art installation that engages the senses. Each of the rooms is dedicated to reinterpreting one of Alessandro’s advertising campaigns for Gucci from the 15 that were selected.
Starting off the exhibit, antique staircases are splattered with french graffiti which translates to rebellious expressions such as “we are all united” and “stay young”, showcasing his pre-fall 2018 campaign which was inspired by the works of Italian horror-director Dario Argento.
Further along inside the gardens, the showcases seem to grow increasingly eclectic, with the fall 2018 campaign obsessive collectors reinterpreted into a wall-to-wall display of everything from Gucci sneakers to cuckoo clocks. The whole experience is capped off with a Gucci Garden eau de parfum containing broom flowers sealed in a black lacquered container, limited to 1,000 bottles.
An archetype means something that can never be replicated; this is exactly what Alessandro envisioned for his exhibition. Instead of offering a mere walk down memory lane, an all-encompassing display of the last 6 years of his work is presented in a way that graces all the senses. For a fashion house that has been around for a century, the Garden Archetypes is as fresh as ever. Click here to view the virtual walk-through.