Back in July, Gucci presented the final installment of a three-part series described as a “tale of subversion”, one that, fittingly enough, questioned the rules and roles that have come to define the fashion industry as we know it. The final chapter, aptly titled The Epilogue, was presented within a 12-hour live stream dictating the fashion world to outsiders by presenting an inside look at what lies behind the curtain. Throughout the course of the day, Gucci’s design team-turned the camera on themselves acting as the models captured on camera while on set.
Now, Gucci presents the campaign that resulted from that shooting day—a look at the new collection which is an almost poetic juxtaposition of sorts as those that helped create the same collection are the very ones modeling it. The Epilogue campaign explores the relationship between fictional fashion imagery and the reality of what goes on behind the scenes to produce the collections.
“I brought together different things, which represent the messy beauty that I have always sought: the chaos of beauty. What happens to the relation between reality and fiction when prying eyes sneak into the mechanisms of the production of an image? What happens to fashion, when the true goes back to being just a moment of the false?
– Alessandro Michele
This campaign is the conclusion of an almost year long conversation, which began back in February with the brand’s fall 2020 presentation. The runway show was a truly magical experience which played on all of the behind the scenes work that it takes to put on a fashion show. The show opened with a glimpse into the pre-show backstage routine, complete with dramatic music and played on fashion’s ever-present air of hustle and bustle. Now, following July’s live-streamed presentation, this narrative finally comes to its inventible close.
This campaign gives us a further look at bags from the brand’s resort 2021 collection, which includes many new iterations of current fan favorites like the Jackie, Marmont, and Horsebit. Neutral-hued bags make way for vibrant colors like red and golden yellow, and Michele also introduces a shoulder bag with this collection, which features Gucci’s iconic GG hardware and contrasting colored leathers. View images from The Epilogue below.
[images via Gucci]
