At the New York Times International Luxury Conference in Versailles, Marco Bizzarri, President and Ceo of Gucci announced that the brand will unify its women’s and men’s seasonal fashion shows from 2017, when Creative Director Alessandro Michele will present one collection each season combining his womenswear and menswear. The first unified show will take place at Gucci’s new Milan headquarters at Via Mecenate.
Alessandro Michele said: “It seems only natural to me to present my men’s and women’s collections together. It’s the way I see the world today. It will not necessarily be an easy path and will certainly present some challenges, but I believe it will give me the chance to move towards a different kind of approach to my story telling.”
Gucci confirms that it will maintain its ‘see now, buy later’ schedule, respecting the necessities of the creative and production process in luxury fashion.
Marco Bizzarri, said: “Alessandro Michele has in fact always presented his men’s and women’s collections together, so this is a very natural progression. Moving to one show each season will significantly help to simplify many aspects of our business. Maintaining two separate, disconnected calendars has been a result of tradition rather than practicality.”
Bizzarri added: “In the spirit of full collaboration with the Camera Nazionale della Moda and with the aim of further reinforcing the Italian fashion system, we will work closely with the Camera Nazionale in aligning on a calendar that allows us to maintain the ‘see now, buy later’ schedule for our fashion shows, as it is fundamental to the full exploitation of Gucci’s creative and production capabilities, for which the lead times are essential.”
