Demna, Gucci’s creative director, presented the Italian luxury brand’s first cruise collection on Saturday night in New York, turning Times Square into a runway as owner Kering seeks to revive his faltering flagship brand.
The colorful display, broadcast live on billboards at one of the most visited venues on the planet, was a nod to Gucci’s ties to Manhattan – the birthplace of its international expansion and where the Italian house opened its first store outside Italy in 1953.
The “GucciCore” collection unveiled on Saturday “feels like a homecoming for the brand,” Demna said in a statement.
He added: “I wanted to do the impossible and put Gucci in the middle of this city.”
Cindy Crawford and former football player Tom Brady were among the models who wore a variety of Demna’s styles, from business suits and trench coats to full-length gowns, in front of an audience of celebrities including Anna Wintour and Mariah Carey.
The scope of the collection reflects “the multiplicity of styles that intersect like city streets,” Demna said.
Cruise collections, once limited to resort wear, are now often presented in locations that allow brands to connect their designs to a geographic narrative. It is organized in addition to the semi-annual fashion calendar.
Gucci’s decision to host the exhibition in New York comes as many European luxury brands are turning to the North American market to drive growth.
French fashion house Christian Dior unveiled his Cruise collection in Los Angeles This month.
The offer came after Demna’s debut at the house’s fashion show in Milan in February. The Georgian designer spent a decade at Kering’s Balenciaga label before taking over as creative director of Gucci in July last year, moving into the role that had been held by designer Sabato De Sarno for two years.
The Gucci brand makes up the majority of profits at French group Kering, which sought a creative reset when it appointed Demna to the top design role at Gucci.
The luxury fashion group said in April that sales at Gucci fell 8% in the first quarter from a year earlier, as the Iran war hurt shoppers’ spending in the Middle East and curtailed international travel. Kering described the quarterly results as a “first step” in its recovery.
Kering, which also owns Yves Saint Laurent and Boucheron jewellery, appointed Luca Di Meo as CEO last September to lead the transformation – particularly at Gucci. He has pledged to double the luxury group’s operating profit margin and boost Gucci’s appeal.