The shock message above Demna Gvasalia’s appointment as the new Creative Director of Gucci came as a surprise on Thursday.
After months of speculation about who would succeed creative director Sabato de Sarno – from Hedi Slimane, who had already already visited real estate in Milan, to a number two underestimated to date, similar to how it was previously with Alessandro Michele and de Sarno – the puzzle has now been solved. It also became clear that François-Henri Pinault, CEO of the parent company Kering, wanted a designer who caused a sensation-with a vision that regains market shares and rekindled the desirability of the brand.
Gucci-CEO Stefano Cantino and Kerings Deputy CEO Francesca Bellettini described Gvasalia as an authority in the fashion industry. He was a designer who has proven after ten years at Balenciaga that he can lead the group’s most important fashion house and is probably ready for a new challenge.
Gucci’s turnover has stalled after consumers: on the inside of Alessandro Michele’s playful, playful maximum. The big upswing failed to materialize. As a creative director, de Sarno in 2023 took over one of the most challenging positions in the industry. The fact that three different CEOs and even more marketing bosses changed during his short term did not make his job easier. Perhaps his role was only intended as an interim solution right from the start – unless he had triggered a fashionable big bang. But that never happened.
Gvasalia: From Margiela to Balenciaga
Gvasalia undoubtedly has deep technical expertise. He started his career with Maison Margiela and Louis Vuitton under Marc Jacobs. He made the breakthrough when he founded the Label Vêtements together with his brother Guram Gvasalia as CEO. The brand quickly became a cult, radical, subversive and politically charged. Vêtements pulled retailers: inside and consumer: inside his spell and shaped the global streetwear trend with oversized silhouettes, wide jeans and the aesthetics of the “elevated casual”.
He refined his Eastern European second-hand look at Balenciaga: oversized shoulders, oversubscribed tailoring silhouettes and the omnipresent “Dad Sneakers” shaped his handwriting. This transformation increased the brand’s sales in less than a decade from 350 million to 2.5 billion euros.
Balenciagas iconic catwalk moments
Some of the most memorable watching of the Paris Fashion Week in recent years have come from Balenciaga. In September 2018, the catwalk was staged as an endless, digital blue tunnel, designed by the artist Jon Rafman. A thin layer of water on the floor made it look like the models would walk over the water – an immersive, futuristic vision. This show was part of the designer continuous experimentation with set design, technology and avant-garde presentations.
Another show staged models as refugees – shortly after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Gvasalias became deeply personal, politically charged presentation at a historical moment of the fashion world.
A controversial creative
Of course, neither Balenciaga nor his creative director were spared controversy. The said “garbage bags” that were worn in the refugee show were later sold as luxury leather versions. The iconic blue Ikea bags also got a Balenciaga-Makeover with a corresponding price tag. Gvasalia brought back the logo fever, a hit with consumer: inside, less for fashion critics: inside.
When a catastrophic advertising campaign ensured a scandal in 2021, many thought of the career. But Kering came behind him – while the company separated from Alessandro Michele at Gucci at the same time. Perhaps the group could not afford to lose two creative draft horses at the same time. In the end, both Balenciaga and Demna survive the scandal, even if Kering’s turnover after the pandemic was left behind the other luxury corporations.
In 2021, Balenciaga revived the haute couture. With the 50th Couture collection, Demna showed that he not only dominated streetwear and radical concepts, but also masterful cutting skills. Avant-garde silhouettes, opulent ball robes and voluminous couture looks were combined with upscale streetwear flair-proof that it is more than just a provocateur.
Demna: a designer who polarizes
Demna divides the fashion world. His massive shoulder silhouettes and unconventional model selection were not celebrated by everyone. Depending on the perspective, its designs were perceived as a brilliant social criticism or as an excessive parody. A DHL logo-t-shirt for vêtements, triple sohly crocs, a garbage bag or intentionally destroyed sneakers for 1,450 euros-for some, simply absurd for the other.
Kering has already emphasized that Demas Gucci will have a different handwriting than his Balenciaga. The Florentine fashion house is known for its exquisite leather goods and more accessible ready-to-wear aesthetics. Under Tom Ford, Gucci was the synonym for luxury and sex appeal. But Demna does not design “sexy”. And he also doesn’t design playfully how Alessandro Michele did.
His previous design DNA was characterized by streetwear, Eastern European thrift shop aesthetics and oversubscribed cuts. Will he reinvent himself for Gucci? Or will he steer Gucci in his own creative direction? One thing is certain: Demna stands for subversion, not for mainstream. You can hardly imagine that he designs a perfume called Gucci Gorgeous Gardenia – and yet that is exactly what he is now taking over.
This article was used with digital tools translated.
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