If you want proof that the world is changing, then take a look at Alessandro Michele’s 2017 Men’s Cruise Collection for Gucci. The gender-bending mish-mash of styles breaks all the rules, in effect creating a whole new set of references for menswear. And if you think it’s all a bit too much, you might want to think again.
Since he took over as Creative Director in 2015, Michele’s collections- including kangaroo fur-lined slippers, colourfully embroidered jeans and animal intarsia sweaters – have been selling like hot cakes, so much so that Gucci have surpassed 4 billion Euros of revenue for the first time this year and expect to hit 6 billion Euros (which is more than double the market average) in the medium-term. This is all the more impressive when you consider that he’s accomplishing all this in the midst of a financial crisis that has taken a heavy toll on most of the fashion industry. Clearly, Michele’ whacky maximalist approach is working. And as his eclectic, historically referenced, more-is-more movement, has grown in numbers, so too has Michele become ever more emboldened.
“This collection is dedicated to those men who are in love with their wardrobe. Men who like beautiful things and who like to wear different things or to wear formalwear differently," Michele said about the 87-look corker that includes acid-washed denim as well as a hot pink and leopard print studded-leather jacket.
Inspired by all things English, from Savile Row to schoolboy uniforms to punks and Carnaby Street dandies, it’s an ode to the romantic idea that rules are meant to be broken. It’s a chaos so complete, in fact, that just about the only thing that is missing is any reference to traditional menswear’s silhouettes or fabrics.
Some might argue that real men shouldn’t really be in love with their wardrobe – and most men probably aren’t. Women have historically been the endless seekers of beautiful things. But case-in-point, Michele included about a dozen women’s looks when he showed the men’s collection, and starting next year, Gucci plans to show men’s and women’s collections together, along with other designers like Burberry and who are following suit – a seismic shift that reflects how gender roles are bending (and also perhaps the impending end of Men’s Fashion Week). And the thing about fashion is that it has this trickle down effect, meaning that Michele’s sport-inspired tube socks and snake emblazoned duffle bags might soon be well be on every man’s must-have list.
