In February, Gucci presented its AW18 show. Impossible to forget, but ICYMI, it was the one set on an operating theatre-themed runway full of models carrying their own severed heads, snakes, and even ‘dragon puppies’. Yesterday, creative director Alessandro Michele unveiled the season’s accompanying campaign, but while there are no severed heads in sight, there’s still plenty to feast your eyes on.
The images focus on a tribe of outsiders obsessed with unusual objects: plush dolls or butterflies or classical painted portraits, among other things. These lie piled or displayed en masse in the background of photographer and long-time collaborator Glen Luchford’s photographs. Various wigs on bodiless mannequins provide a strange counterpoint to Gucci’s garish sneakers (yes, they’re back) and the modern, angular shapes of statement shades are bold against a backdrop of fine china.
Elsewhere, the models are almost lost in their own environments, which reflect their offbeat characters. In one image, a floral-suited figure is lost amongst floor-to-ceiling cuckoo clocks; in another, the model’s plethora of colourful prints are camouflage-like against the aforementioned butterfly collection. We can always count on Michele to transport us to a fantasy world, and this season’s campaign does exactly that.
Head to the gallery above to view more.