On 16 May, Italian luxury house Gucci took over the Gyeongbokgung Palace in central Seoul, to present its cruise collection, which brought together Korean heritage and streetstyle fashion.
This was Gucci's first fashion show in Seoul, the biggest market for luxury goods on a per capita basis in 2022 and currently the darling of global fashion labels (last month, LVMH’s largest label, Louis Vuitton, also held a fashion show in Seoul), in at least eight years as the struggling label seeks to capitalize on South Korea’s rising cultural cachet while courting luxury consumers in the crucial Asian market, states a Bloomberg report.
The evening show featured the music of the Oscar-winning Korean movie Parasite.
This was Gucci’s first show in Korea since Marco Bizzarri became the label’s chief executive officer in 2015. The Italian label generated around 9% of its retail sales to Koreans last year, Morgan Stanley estimated. Actress Saoirse Ronan and K-Pop star Hanni, a member of the group New Jeans, were among VIP guests at the show, states the Bloomberg report.
In the “cruise” show, designed by Gucci’s in-house design team (the recently-appointed creative director Sabato de Sarno will unveil his debut collection during September's Milan Fashion Week), the brand veered from retro-futuristic garb like silver metal jackets reminiscent of a 1970s take on the future to streetwear styles, including a model sporting baggy black trousers and a Gucci briefcase carrying a skateboard. Gucci’s familiar GG canvas pattern featured prominently on tops and handbags, states the Bloomberg report.
Kering has struggled in the past few years as Gucci’s appeal has waned among shoppers who tired of the designs by Gucci’s former creative director Alessandro Michele who left in November, the report adds.
