Anne Thu Pham

After the baroque intensity and archival fantasia of Alessandro Michele, Gucci, under Demna's leadership, has pivoted sharply toward the pragmatic. The message is clear: the Italian house, under Kering's ownership, wants to sell, and fast! In a time when luxury houses recalibrate against unstable markets and fluctuating cultural relevance, artistic transcendence is no longer the primary objective; economic survival is.

0 $0.00 0 items When Louise Trotter stepped into Bottega Veneta in December last year, following her tenure at Carven and, prior to that, Lacoste, the appointment felt significant. At last, a woman was being given space in a conversation too often dominated by men. Ten months later, the imbalance remains stark: of the many debuts (about a dozen) staged this season, only two will be led by women. For months, the industry has circled the same question: why do we need women designing at the helm?

Gucci is in a state of transition. Like appointments elsewhere in Italy—I’m thinking the new Supreme Pontiff, head of the Catholic Church in Rome—ex-Balenciaga and Vetements designer Demna Gvaslia was announced as Creative Director of Gucci last March after the departure of Sabato De Sarno, who left the position sede vacante, or seat vacant. Gvasalia has been anointed but not yet installed, rumoured to be presenting his last Balenciaga Couture collection in June.