Gucci unites tradition and avant-garde in a collection that masterfully reads the feeling of the present time | The USA Print

the soundtrack of oldboy, the film Park Chan-wook, marks the start of the parade. Then comes the repetitive sound of percussion. The walkway is under the roofed columns of Gyeongbokgung Palace, the main residence of the Joseon Dynasty, built in 1395 and one of South Korea’s heritage jewels. The Italian firm Gucci (part of the Kering group) has traveled there to present its 2024 cruise collection. At night in Seoul, the central patio alternates light patterns, always white on black as if it were a changing constellation in the sky, to the sound of of the drums, and the models parade under the red columns and the green coffered ceiling illustrated with colorful plant drawings. On the catwalk, neoprene evening dresses, tulle dresses combined with surfboards, chain belts, metallic fabrics with a lot of silver and nods to the hanbok, the traditional South Korean costume, palpable in the use of silk or the bows on the chest of some garments.

The Gyeongbokgung Palace in Seoul, from the 14th century, has been the spectacular setting for the parade. Photo: Cosimo Sereni / GUCCI

“Cosmopolitan dress codes are expressions of cultural conversations (…) The collection explores this exchange through a dialogue between the House’s own cultural heritage and the current electrifying influence that South Korea exerts on it,” the brand summarized before. of the parade. And on the catwalk that conversation is reflected: an evening dress with a pink jelly print, pearl necklaces, a T-shirt illustrated with a cat’s paw trying to catch a butterfly, skateboard covers, futuristic glasses combined with tailored suits and Wetsuits inspired by windsurfers and jet-skiers who flock to the Han River in Seoul every day. It is the first fashion show organized in this hundred-year-old setting in the South Korean capital, and for the occasion the firm has had guests such as rapper Asap Rocky or actress Dakota Johnson. The event serves to underline the commitment to South Korean culture of the Italian house, which in Seoul has contributed to financing the conservation of the Gyeongbokgung Palace (14th century) and organized projects such as No Space, Just a Place to boost the contemporary art scene.

The codes of surfing and ‘skate’ were protagonists on the catwalk. Photo: Getty Images

After the initial percussion, the parade evolves to the strings, ending with an orchestrated theme by the South Korean composer Jung Jae-il, who has participated in the soundtracks of audiovisual phenomena such as the Oscar-winning Parasites, Oldboy or the series the squid game. Not the only South Korean artist on display: the Seoul-based artist’s colorful biomorphic creations ramhan illustrate some of the garments, with colors in the ranges of the decoration of the Gyeongbokgung palace and the rapper Jay Park enlivens the post-parade. This musical and plastic dialogue between tradition and avant-garde is also reflected in the stylistic proposals: the nineties codes typical of the Gucci house are updated with new materials and tones; formal suits nod to sportswear, and sportswear is embellished with chiffon and embroidery; Fitted T-shirts Meet Wide Leg Pants skater. “Every garment and every looks they reflect a form of hybridization”, underlines the firm, which has wanted to mix generational codes and underline the current influence of the Korean Wave [aumento de la popularidad internacional de la cultura de Corea del Sur desde mediados de los noventa, impulsado por el auge del K-Pop y las series de televisión producidas en el país].

On the left, the Gucci logo print on a deconstructed jacket finished off on the chest with the bow of the Korean ‘hanbok’, and on the left, a classic suit revisited with silver sequins and neoprene. Photo: Getty Images

In addition, the garments play with deconstruction: zippers that can modify trousers or removable sleeves with a zipper, jackets transformed into coats, bomber jackets transformed into an evening skirt, cargo pants and new irregularly shaped derivatives of the Horsebit bags, one of the icons of the house, worn by models including the British Karen Elson or Estrella Gómez, one of the most sought-after Spanish models today. The company wanted to present this collection in South Korea – still under the Gucci creative team, since the new designer of the brand, Sabato De Sarno, will not debut his first collection until September in Milan – to underline the relationship between the home and country, where the Italian firm opened its first flagship store in 1998, now 25 years ago.

One of the models illustrated with the pink jelly drawing. Photo: Getty Images