The Ghosts of Gucci Past: Demna’s second collection remixes fashion history

You know you’ve invented a visual language when your name is invoked through the slightest of aesthetic cues. Daniel Roseberry’s hammered gold accessories already have legions of copycats; Vivienne Westwood’s off-shoulder cowl necks conjure no one but her; a tweed skirt suit practically belongs to Gabrielle Chanel. So, this morning, when Gucci creative director Demna dropped the pics for the label’s Pre-Fall 2026 collection, you wouldn’t be remiss for thinking that Tom Ford had made a grand return to the Italian house. From the smoked-out eyes and slinky silhouettes to the single spotlight on a dark background, Ford’s DNA was splattered across the images, a fact that Demna was abundantly aware of when crafting his second collection for the house. “Generation Gucci represents Demna’s ongoing research into archival and visual codes across different eras of the brand’s history,” read the collection’s notes. “It combines different generations of product and imagery into one aesthetic narrative, anticipating his personal vision for the house, which will be revealed in February.”

Conceived around the idea of an imaginary, historic Gucci show “that never happened”, the new collection is full of Ford-era staples – sharp tailoring over bare chests, slick aviator sunglasses, plunging satin necklines, and straight-cut, sand-blandsted denim. Elsewhere, Demna also brings in 70s and 90s house signatures like full-suede looks and leather racer jackets, Frida Giannini’s strong, woman-centred aesthetic is telegraphed through pussy bow necklines and A-line skirts, while even Alessandro Michele’s madcap colour-blocking and intricate florals get a nod.

Though Demna’s catwalk debut is coming in February, Generation Gucci is his second official outing for the brand, after dropping his debut SS26 collection back in September. Also revealed via lookbook, La Famiglia introduced a cabal of fashion archetypes like the Speedo-clad Bastardo, the fussy fashion Primadonna and the stony-faced L’Influencer. Also based on past references from previous eras of Gucci, that collection distilled the archive into definable, digestible codes, while Generation Gucci seems to be jumbling them up altogether in a more freeform approach. Whether Demna continues his archival research mission in February is yet to be revealed, but knowing the Georgian designer he’ll give us something completely left-field for a truly new era of Gucci.

Scroll through the gallery above for the entire Generation Gucci collection