Fashion houses trying to figure out how to reach new eyeballs after the long ordeal of the pandemic have centered around a singular idea: collaborations.
Many are doing it, in big ways and small. Gucci, which famously “hacked” Balenciaga last season, is now launching an e-commerce site showcasing refurbished vintage Gucci products and capsule collections by young designers. Hatmaker Borsalino is collaborating with the French brand Ami Paris and the equestrian-inspired brand Acheval.
If the fashion industry is going to change, now is the moment, say insiders — even if the temptation to go back to old habits is great.
Highlights from the fourth day of the Milan runway show Saturday for next spring and summer:
Gucci on Saturday launched an e-commerce site featuring refurbished vintage Gucci pieces alongside capsule collections by young designers chosen by Gucci creative director Alessandro Michele.
Michele said the project was born out of his life-long obsession with collecting fashion, including Gucci items before he ever joined the brand.
“Yes, I do this work to tell stories. But I also do it because I truly love objects,” he told reporters in Milan.
The young designers featured included London-based Priya Ahluwalia. Of Nigerian and Indian descent, Ahluwalia’s upcycled collections have already found a broad audience ranging from sports figures like Lewis Hamilton to middle-aged hipsters.