Gucci releases book by cult photographer Ari Marcopoulos

The ardent Gucci fans out there may remember that in December, the house previewed its pre-AW16 collection on Snapchat. The preview consisted of a short video taken behind the scenes of a photoshoot with cult photographer Ari Marcopoulos. Now, five months later, we know what this shoot was all about: a book entitled Epiphany.

Hailing from Holland, Marcopoulos moved to New York in 1980 where became one of the most crucial documentarians of American culture, capturing those on the fringes – from artist and musicians to skateboarders and snowboarders. His subjects include Jean-Michel Basquiat, the Beastie Boys, New York hip hop group Ratking and Californian hardcore punk band Trash Talk.

For this project, the subject was Gucci’s pre-AW16 women’s and men’s collections designed by Alessandro Michele. “For seven days we photographed Alessandro’s collection,” says Marcopoulos in a statement, explaining the process. “As the days went on our surroundings made me feel equally in Roman times of the past and solidly in the present and future. Above all, we were having a good time which would have pleased Dionysus.”

Marcopoulos is the latest in a series of outsider creators that Michele has enlisted to contribute to his vision for Gucci. From photographer and filmmaker Matt Lambert, to photographer and model Petra Collins, graffiti artist GucciGhost and, most recently, Cocteau Twins who soundtracked his pre-AW16 campaign film. 

Epiphany, which is being published by fashion’s favourite publishers IDEA, will be released a limited edition of 1,000 copies and be launched on May 5 at Dover Street Market in New York.